26th May 2025
Zachary Paul & Celia Eydeland
Live at St Mary’s Church, Felpham
The World Premiere of this as yet unnamed piece was performed by Zachary Paul (violin & electronics) & Celia Eydeland (Organ) in the 11th Century church in Felpham, West Sussex.
Violin & Organ Concert at St Mary’s Felpham, 26th May 2025
A busy audience attended a concert on Bank Holiday Monday at St Mary’s Church, Felpham. Over from New York, Zachary Paul on violin and Celia Eydeland on organ enthralled and captivated with a solemn supplication of music, befitting a rogation day. This was the world premiere of a 30 minute piece composed especially for the occasion. aThe event was a fund-raiser for disability access for the new Post Office, opening later this summer on Grassmere Parade.
A gentle, evolving piece held and moved the audience. Both players showed their complete mastery of their instruments; the acoustics of this sacred space was perfect for the sound. After a short interval, there was an improvised bonus piece.
Friends of Felpham CIC would like to thank all those who attended and were so generous with their donations, and Fr John, Jane & James for their wonderful support. [Michael Harding, Star of the Sea June 2025]
11/14th November 2024
Chandra Shukla
The residency at Felpham’s Summerhouse is one of a quaint, English, seaside town and filled with history and lore. Wlliam Blake’s Cottage is in Felpham and the neighboring town of Bognor Regis is a mere stones throw away. I had the privilege of witnessing first hand an effort from the community to restore the local post office where a gathering happened at legendary watering hole, The Fox Inn.
The main reason for my visit was to later do a memorial performance for the late Philip Jeck in Liverpool come November 15, 2024 on what would have been Philip’s 72nd birthday. It was a pleasure to walk these coastal grounds with Mike and Lizzie, The Summerhouse’s patrons and reminisce about times that are now past and the constant search for great cuisine, of which we indulged in many. In The Summer House cottage studio, Mike played me many minutes of his own inspiring shortwave tones and iterations that he turned into complex, woven compositions which inspired within myself to “do something”. Culturally, though an English speaking American, I realized I am still an outsider. This became apparent when I embarrassingly pulled a red chord in the bathroom of a library in nearby Chichester on a brunchtime visit to see the Abbey, which I thought was the chord to flush the toilet but instead set off a fire alarm. Can’t take me anywhere!
Though my visit was brief, the time I spent at The Summerhouse had an enormous impact on me. During my short stay of four days, I managed to construct a track entitled “Bognor Regis” where I gathered most of my field recordings. Immense thanks to Mike and Lizzie who were gracious to host me at The Summerhouse.
7/8th November 2024
Gavin Repton, Independent film maker
My residency at The Summer House was really beneficial for a documentary about the history of ghosts. It allowed me to film how Mike works with short wave radio to create sound pieces and talk about how short wave radio relates to changing technologies in ghost hunting. It also allowed me to get a better sense of who he is as well as the work he makes.
I also really benefited from talking to his partner Lizzie about her work as a screenwriter, something which I am hoping to develop in the future. [Gavin Repton, December 2024]
22/26th July 2024
strom | morts
Nous avons eu l’honneur d’être invités par Mike Harding à passer une semaine de résidence artistique à la Summerhouse. L’idée principale était de pouvoir avant tout échanger autour de notre projet et de nos visions respectives mais aussi, bien entendu, de bénéficier des précieux conseils de Mike en matière de direction artistique et de techniques d’enregistrement.
Les premières impressions que nous avons pu recueillir furent avant tout l’immensité des plages qui bordent la Manche qui, à marée basse, semblaient s’étendre presque à l’infini, telles des ondes puissantes qui parcourraient des milliers de kilomètres avant de complètement disparaître. Nous avons ensuite pu enfin rencontrer Mike et son épouse Lizzie dans un lieu plutôt insolite qui allait bien refléter l’ambiance qui nous inspirerait durant ce voyage : le pub où William Blake avait été arrêté en 1803. L’accueil chaleureux et la bienveillance de Mike et Lizzie nous ont rapidement mis à l’aise. Nous nous sommes tout de suite sentis accueillis comme des membres d’une seule et même famille.
Lorsque nous longions les plages de Felpham à la nuit tombée, nous avons évoqué avec Mike la possibilité de faire du field recording au milieu de rochers quasiment noirs, au bord de la mer. Cette session, ainsi que toutes celles qui ont suivi, se sont avérées extrêmement riches. En effet, nous avons pu constater que des éléments de field recording ou encore de captage de fréquences radio peuvent avoir un impact considérablement positif sur notre musique. De plus, au travers de nos nombreuses conversations avec Mike et Lizzie, nous avons réalisés la nécessité de pousser notre art plus loin afin d’y ajouter une dimension narrative supplémentaire.
En résumé, durant ce séjour et en particulier durant nos sessions dans la Summerhouse, sorte de laboratoire de pensée et de création sonore, nous avons vécu ce que nous pourrions aisément qualifier de voyage initiatique. Nous avons en effet eu le sentiment de passer par diverses phases, ou étapes, qui nous ont mené vers une compréhension plus globale de notre musique et de la façon dont nous pouvons penser notre art comme faisant partie d’un tout cohérent. Nous avons également constaté, grâce aux précieux apports de Mike, que nous pouvons utiliser de nombreux d’éléments du monde matériel qui nous entoure et les incorporer à notre musique car la nature est, somme toute, notre instrument. [strom|morts, September 2024]
6/7th February 2024
Iklectik Art Lab
A Tranquil Haven for Creativity: IKLECTIK’s Mini Residency Experience in the Summerhouse Artists Residency.
Nestled in the charming village of Felpham, our mini creative residency at the Summerhouse proved to be an inspiring retreat in West Sussex.
Steeped in literary history as the former residence of William Blake, the village exudes a peculiar ambiance, amplified by treasures like Rolly’s Records, a second-hand vinyl shop, the 1790’s Fox Inn Pub and the precious Post-Office.
The Summerhouse itself is a cozy haven, enveloped by 2 peaceful and inspiring gardens. From the moment we arrived, Mike and Lizzie, our gracious hosts, showered us with care and attention, ensuring our every need was met. Their warmth and hospitality made us feel not just welcomed, but truly cherished throughout our stay.
One of the highlights of our experience was the opportunity to connect in depth with Mike, whose knowledge, visionary outlook, and wealth of experience left an indelible mark on us. Sharing our plans about IKLECTIK with him was not only enlightening but also empowering. His insights and encouragement provided us with the confidence and direction to forge the future of our organisation.
In essence, the Summerhouse serves as the perfect amalgamation of serenity and inspiration, fostering an environment conducive to nurturing the next chapter of one’s artistic journey. Whether seeking solace for reflection or guidance, this idyllic retreat offers the perfect backdrop for creative exploration and growth. [Eduard & Isa, February 2024]
3rd July 2023
Julia Dempsey (Art Assembly)
The summerhouse residency is the first art residency I have participated in since becoming a mum 6 years ago. The room I stayed and the summerhouse itself are surrounded by Mike and Lizzie’s beautiful English cottage garden which provided a peaceful retreat from London and the mental chaos that comes with parenting two small children.
Mike and Lizzie are interesting and lovely people to spend time with and aside from the more focused conversations I had on my work throughout the stay I found our interactions over dinner etc. and the evening very inspiring.
It was exciting to be talking about work and ideas again. Before travelling down I learned a little about the location. Mike and Lizzie’s garden sits adjacent to a beautiful allotment and that set me thinking about the legislation that formed many of the allotments in the UK in the early 20th Century. I also read about Felpham’s most famous resident William Blake who I learned was a reformer and radical. The residency allowed me the headspace to explore these ideas and begin to coalesce them into some plans for a new piece of work. This would have been impossible without the visit both due to the inspiration but also as a space to contemplate freely.
Over the course of our conversations throughout the stay Mike provided me with points for further reading, exploration and development. Mike is very experienced with tutoring artists and helping them bring out their ideas. We then hit Felpham to do some sound recording, Mike obviously has many years of expertise in the field of sound. I was also lucky to be able to lean on Lizzie’s skill as a screenwriter and actor, for example when I wanted to record an excerpt of poetry she was kind enough to do the reading for me.
All in all it was a valuable visit, I left feeling inspired, recharged and with a new energy for future work. [Julia, July 2023]
check back here for further residencies…