On the 20th of October I visited Trinity Buoy Wharf, the base for Jem Finer’s ‘Longplayer’. Longplayer is a composition by Jem Finer that will last 1000 years, it began on December 31st 1999 and will end 1000 year on in 2999. Longplayer is played on Tibetan singing bowls and uses a series of rules to ensure the piece keeps playing and never repeats. The piece is being streamed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Trinity Buoy Wharf serves as a physical base for Longplayer, on weekends it is open to the public, where you are able to physically experience Longplayer as opposed to streaming it.
Longplayer is housed in what appears to be a disused lighthouse. After walking up some narrow stone stairs you reach the first floor of the lighthouse, where the installation is. The installation consists of many Tibetan singing bowls all placed on curved metal shelves. The shelves are arranged into a circle but with gaps that allow you to walk into the middle of the circle and surround yourself in the piece. If you continue to walk up the stairs, you reach the top of the lighthouse. The top of the lighthouse is a dome shaped space made entirely of metal and glass, this means that the sound of Longplayer has a different resonance compared to the main space. This made me feel far more surrounded by the piece than being stood within the installation. The resonance created by the metal dome creates a completely unique listening experience.