Hayden Thorpe
Hayden Thorpe came to prominence as the lead singer and chief songwriter for the much-celebrated band Wild Beasts.
The band released five acclaimed albums on Domino Records and headlined festivals including End of The Road, Greenman and Field Day before disbanding.
Hayden has since released two solo albums and an EP on Domino; 2019’s Diviner – a critically adored work of solitude and fragility, the pastoral Aerial Songs EP – a 2020 commission for the inaugural Aerial arts festival and his sophomore album Moondust For My Diamond released in 2021 – a work that is galvanising, reassuring, elegant, seductive and oozing in Big Cosmic Energy.
Known for his distinctive voice and sultry compositions, Thorpe’s return to Cumbria marks a new era for his craft with an expanding pallet reflective of the natural environment he lives surrounded by. Works currently in development include a collaborative album with writer Robert Macfarlane and the Propeller Ensemble.
The Hide
The inspiration for Hayden Thorpe's Artist In Residence project, in his own words.
Our towns and cities have developed in such a way that there are very few places where we can seek peace and quiet. There are even fewer spaces dedicated to observing the activates of birds who very much share our urban landscape. The Hide is an installation dedicated to fulfilling both of those needs. It is a place to introduce some stillness and reflection in our busy days and a place where we can take notice of the wildlife around us.
Having personally found such an inner benefit from visiting my local bird hide beside a wetland in Kendal, Cumbria – I came to realise that the hide itself is a structure which needn’t only be for the rural environment. In fact, it is perhaps most effective when is put in the most unlikely of places.
The Glasshouse, positioned next to the Tyne River, provides the perfect inner-city vista for a hide to sit. During my time as one of the artists in residence at The Glasshouse, I have been designing The Hide and writing music inspired by my experience of bird watching.
For those who experience The Hide installation, my aims are as follows:
– To feel that momentary but definite sensation of ease that a breath pause in a dedicated space can provide.
– For the music playing in The Hide to help transport people away from the seemingly ever-present demands on our mental state
– For people to notice the activities of bird life and in doing so, feel more interconnected with the place around them.
By watching the chance events taking place in the natural world around us, I feel we are encouraged to hold our own inner stresses a little lighter. Furthermore, by paying attention and recognising nature, we not only feel more conscious of the value of the natural world, but we can also better recognise the basic needs required to remain well within ourselves.
– Hayden Thorpe, May 2024
