Kiera Coward Deyell is an artist working with sound design, sound systems and the wider community. The later two involvements are key interests in my practice, making Kiera someone useful for me to research. They are the lead sound technician for Black Obsidian Sound System (BOSS), which correlates with their “dayjob” as an electrician; Kiera is someone who is constantly working in the realm of electronics. Much like myself, Kiera’s itroduction to a personal involvement in music and sound stems from learning the violin at a young age (though Kiera’s during primary school and my own throughout secondary). Their interest in sound is stimulated by the soundscape of their home growing up, with Kiera’s mum having an involvement in the UK’s lover’s rocl anf punk scenes. Kiera’s mother, just like Kiera theirself, was involved with sound systems, unloading for Fatman Sound, alongside promotion work. Kiera describes their dad as a “music obsessive”, working with repairing jukeboxes.

Whilst Kiera grew up in the “tail-end” of the grime scene, they were heavily involved in the DIY punk scene, rehearsing and playing gigs in squatted spaces. This is of huge interest to me, as for my second portfolio piece, I would like to curate an event which is hosted in a squatted space. The reasoning for this is that it establishes my community I would host it under (Happiness Starts with Dancing) as anti-establishment, and allow for more creative control of the space in terms of sound and aesthetics.

Kiera’s involvement with making music stems from their exposure to grime music, having made beats in Reaper and FL Studio as a teenager. Whilst Kiera’s sound making in music is ongoing, it is not of public listenability, and is more of a therapeutic process for them. Kiera posed the question “what is sacred in sound?”, which alludes to the idea that we are living through an era where young people are pressured into capitilising our art- why must everything be shared with those who are not connected with us? If everything is to be publically shared or released, what do we make that is solely for ourselves and our loved ones? Since the lecture with Kiera, I have pondered on this thout and have been reinspired to create art the way I used to, just for fun as a social activity with my friends, not to be shared outside of the session. This leads to pure expression, as there is not the fear of perception or acceptance. Like myself, Kiera is also a DJ, and uses their sets to push more “experiemental” forms of dance music.

Although I am studying sound art, I am deeply interested in, and would like my life’s work and research to contribute to the wider questions our wordly network are struggling to answer. These are questions relating to the origin of conciousness and humanity, the myseteries behind opinion, emotion and sentience. Being an artist, one may, however, feel very far removed from the possibility of attaining knowledge around these themes. Kiera has shown me that art, may in fact, draw us even closer to these ideas than mainstream science, having studied and Arts and Science degree. Science is very theoretical, and may strip concepts of a humanly perspective. If studied alongside the arts, however, scientific concepts become more in tune with human thought. I have now discovered that at masters level, I am able to study an Arts and Neuroscience degree without having to have an academic background in science.

Kiera became involved in working with sound systems when an opportunity arose in Glascow to teach young people how to build sound systems, where a bicycle powered sound system was communally built. It was during this time that they were introduced to Amelia Beatrice, who later Kiera has collaborated on audio-visual projects with. Upon their return to London, Kiera was comissioned by Evan Ifekoya to build a sound system for an installation. This is the sound system that came to be Black Obsidian Sound System, solely managed by queer people of colour. It is beautiful to see a sound system in such hands, as sound system culture is notoriously stangnant; it is very male dominated, and usually only hosts a short range of music includng dub, reggae, and free party music (trance, acid house). Kiera’s practice within sound systems has been of the benefit to their wider community.