Traversing geographies real and imagined, (re)composition explored the affective, material, physical and cultural dimensions of the interplay between music and place. Featuring contributions from artists, musicians, researchers, and members of Loughborough’s music communities, it consisted of a lively programme of performances, compositions, workshops, film screenings and public discussions.

The project drew on research undertaken by Dr Allan Watson in Loughborough University’s Department of Geography. His work explores the connections between the social and economic relations fostered by music; musical infrastructures; and working conditions in the music industry. His book  Cultural Production in and Beyond the Recording Studio was published by Routledge in 2014, and in 2017 he organized a conference entitled ‘The Place of Music’ at Loughborough University. We also worked closely with Dr James Esson, who is interested in the racialized (in)ability of peoples and cultures to move and be moved.

(re)composition continued Radar's previous engagements with the sonic. The very first Radar programme, 2007's You are the Music While the Music Lasts explored how sound affects navigational perception. 2016’s Market Town, meanwhile, featured ‘Loughborough Records Presents Presence’, a project by the artist-architect Can Altay. This involved the transformation of a vacant unit in Loughborough’s shopping centre into a free-to-use recording studio, and instigated conversations we hope to continue about the town's musical infrastructures. 

Interrogating and realizing music’s ability to compose and be composed by place, negotiate identities and transport us to new worlds, (re)composition was an ambitious programme of musical, artistic and geographic exploration.