Experience a powerful new sound installation created with the communities of Rochdale.
You Are the Place is a new work by internationally renowned artist Shilpa Gupta, developed over the past year with local people including recent immigrants and asylum seekers. Through a series of workshops supported by community groups, participants were invited to reflect on memories, places, and emotions they carry with them – and what they may have left behind.
Their responses, captured through drawings and writing, were transformed into lyrical verses by local songwriters in the many languages spoken in Rochdale – including Ukrainian, Urdu, Cantonese, Portuguese, Polish, Arabic, Punjabi and English. These verses were then recorded by community members and artists, creating a rich tapestry of voices and languages that form the installation.
The result is a deeply moving sound experience, blending stories, memories and music that drift across borders and cultures.
You Are the Place explores how we carry places within us – in our thoughts, in our voices, in our everyday lives. It invites listeners to slow down, reflect and connect with the emotions and journeys shared by others.
This is not an installation that needs to be understood – it’s one to be felt. A gentle space to pause, listen and imagine new ways of seeing ourselves and the world around us.
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