Open [mic] Confessions

As a precursor to their forthcoming release on independent record label Drowned By Locals (DBL), Abbas Zahedi & bill daggs present a new experimental sound installation; ‘Open [mic] Confessions’, opening on Friday night with an evening of live performances hosted by Abbas and bill, inviting shared voices, grounding sonics, and listening as an act of resistance.

Across the weekend, Gallery 3 becomes an open-mic platform, or perhaps a confessional booth - a space shaped by community, shared emotion and creative exchange - where visitors are encouraged each day to use the microphone to perform, speak, move or share in the spirit of co-creation, over continuous sonic textures composed by daggs.

Here, a central speaker-stack functions like the screen of a confessional booth, positioned between performer and audience. By shifting focus away from the visual presence of the performer, the work amplifies sound as the primary medium for connection and release.

On Friday night, Open [mic] Confessions will take the shape of an open-mic event, inviting contributions of 5 to 10 minutes from the audience, whether prepared in advance or improvised in the moment. Sign up will take place on the night, with limited slots available. Scheduled performances will take place after an interval. Selected contributions from the open-mic will also be nominated for inclusion in a future DBL release, extending the dialogue of the event into recorded form.

Powered by a bespoke sound system from Less Is More Sound, the space becomes a field of sonic and vocal expression, creating a collaborative environment that brings together speaker, listener and place in continuous exchange.

With special thanks to Less Is More Sound for the loan of the sound system, empowering the people for sonic creation