Meet the 696 Resident Artists
Meet the five resident artists who developed their craft using the Horniman’s collection of musical instruments, as part of the 696 programme
Adem Holness - Showcase (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
The 696 Project
696 aimed to platform the cutting edge of south London’s music scene.
The project focussed on championing music genres, and the people working in them, that have been disproportionately affected by bias in legislation. This included the five resident artists!
696 Resident Artists (2020) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Meet the Resident Artists!
Afronaut Zu, DemiMa, Eerf Evil, Richie and Roxanne Tataei.
During a year-long residency, the 5 Resident Artists developed an artistic project in response to the Horniman’s collection of musical instruments - which is one of the most comprehensive and exciting in the UK.
Roxanne - music sample (2021) by Nicholas TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
The Residency
The residency included a budget of up to £3,000 to develop a creative project, behind the scenes access to the Horniman Musical Instrument collection and one-to-one coaching sessions.
Hear from the Resident Artists
Learn about how the 696 Residency inspired the artists; in the way they viewed music, learned music, and made music.
"...you can connect ancestrally using these instruments and I find that fascinating...I understand deeper that rhythm is a sacred natural law..." - DemiMa
Afronaut Zu (2020) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Afronaut Zu
London-based solo artist and musical collective member Afronaut Zu. Of Nigerian descent, Afronaut Zu’s sound and approach to music is largely shaped by cultural influences and life experiences growing up in Britain, whilst also being from the African diaspora.
Demi Ma - Showcase (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
DemiMa
DemiMa, an electronic soul artist and sonic-poet from South West London and South Africa’s eThekwini’s south coast. Inspired by nature and Afro-futurism, she presents a unique sound fusing ‘voxstrumentals’ with English and isiZulu lyrics.
Eerf Evil - Showcase (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Eerf Evil
MC, singer, producer and rapper Eerf Evil. Eerf uses his experiences of growing up in Croydon to influence the content of his music, with a desire to share the freedom he has through the idea of living free.
Richie - Showcase (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Resident Artist Showcase
The Resident Artists had their own showcase, where they presented what they'd worked on during the residency.
It was a unique chance to see how the museum’s collections inspired their music and creativity in the beautiful setting of the conservatory.
Roxanne Tataei (2020) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Roxanne Tataei
Musician, composer and performance artist Roxanne Tataei, from South London. Having supported artists on tour including Grace Jones and Florence & The Machine, collaborating with Mark Ronson, Paul Weller and releasing critically acclaimed works exploring opera and free-form.
Richie (2020) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Richie
Richie, a vocalist, trombonist and composer, born and raised in a British-Caribbean household in South East London. A classically trained musician, Richie has been active on the London jazz scene, performing for international artists like Solange Knowles and Nick Waterhouse.
Afronaut Zu - slit drum and beater (2021) by Abdul SalihHorniman Museum and Gardens
Resident Artists sample Horniman Collection
3 of the 5 Resident Artists sampled directly from the collection - Afronaut Zu, Richie and Roxanne Tataei.
They drew on inspiration from the Horniman's collections which fed into their work.
Afronaut Zu - music samples (2021) by Abdul SalihHorniman Museum and Gardens
Want to hear Afronaut Zu sample the Balafon?
Afronaut Zu sampled many instruments, including the balafon, lamellaphone, djembe, and many more.
Here is the Balafon from Ghana, Africa.
Horniman Museum number: HC.2015.22.1
Richie - slit drum and beater (2021) by Mitch AllenHorniman Museum and Gardens
Listen to Richie sample the Slit Drum!
Richie sampled many instruments, including the lithophone, lamellaphone, slit drum, and more.
Here is Richie sampling the wooden slit drum and beater, said to be from Zande culture in East Africa.
Horniman Museum numbers: M8-1981 and 27.70a
Roxanne - Harpsichord (2021) by Nicholas TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
Roxanne samples the Harpsichord
Roxanne’s samples are of the Harpsichord made by Jacob Kirckman, in London, 1772. This particular sample is of a c'-sharp.
Horniman Museum number: 1972.211
Adem Holness talks to us about the Resident Artists
"We designed this resident artist scheme so artists, local really amazing artists really got the run of the Museum and of the collection, and our job is just to help them thrive. I’m so proud of the people that we’ve got because I’m fans of them all."
Afronaught Zu - Showcase. (2021) by Nick TaghaviHorniman Museum and Gardens
The 696 Resident Artist project was supported by PRS Foundation's The Open Fund.
