MSCTY x Thames

Felix Taylor works with music, field recordings, collage and video to make works that explore place, identity and memory. float! is the culmination of several months spent aboard Uber Boat by Thames Clippers services with sounds and melodies featuring throughout the pieces that are directly inspired by points and places along the river. 

"I'm telling stories of London and the river in a way that feels new and exciting to me" says Felix. "It's been amazing to experience the calmness of the river while the tall, imposing city is either side of me. You feel totally detached from London, but also at the centre of it all at the same time".

"The movements themselves don't correspond directly with sections of the journey, however, there are sounds and melodies throughout the pieces that are directly inspired by points and places along the journey. For instance the first motif heard was written with Olivers Wharf in mind, the third movement was created after spotting the strange, life sized yellow figure of a man that faces the river from someone's garden near Canary Wharf and the latter half of that same movement features a solo from my brother Oscar Taylor, where he plays clarinet over field recordings taken from a beach in Surrey Quays. The piece is absolutely full of direct references but they're somewhat hidden and overall, the piece is meant to just evoke the same feelings that all of these things give me".

"I hope Londoners get the sense of adventure that I've tried to put in the music, the feeling that you get riding the boat. I also hope it communicates the feelings of both calmness and danger that you get from the river; the way that it can be such an inviting presence but also an immensely powerful one.

"Being on the outside decks of the Clippers gives you such a unique perspective of the city. They're not just a fun day out but a real way to explore the city and find peace while doing it".