To celebrate the winners of this year’s Seed Award, we caught up with all the selected artists and composers for a quick chat.

Here, we speak to Hayley Suviste. Hayley is a sound artist and composer based in Manchester, UK. Her output includes long-form multi-channel compositions, interactive soundwalks, installations, site-specific commissions, collaborative performances and works for fixed media & live electronics.

Can you tell us about your musical influences?

My musical influences include the pioneering work of composers such as Hildegard Westerkamp and R. Murray Schafer who developed the concept of soundwalking, Pauline Oliveros’ work on deep listening, and the drone-based compositions of Éliane Radigue. I’m also inspired by folk traditions and oral histories, weaving these together with sound design and music to convey narratives through my work. Alongside this, I’m also massively inspired by the sound worlds created by contemporary electronic artists such as Tim Hecker, KMRU, Holly Herndon, Midori Hirano, and Maarja Nuut.  

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m currently working on creating a new ambisonic composition in the University of Hull’s Ambisonic Studio, as part of the Yorkshire Sound Women Network’s Sound Pioneers Residency. The new work will be performed at a concert in Hull at the end of October. I’m also working towards a live set, that will be performed at IKLECTIK (London) in November alongside fellow Manchester-based sound artist Vicky Clarke. The performance will be the first time I have brought my fixed media practice into the live realm, and will be a sonic exploration of space and texture that weaves together live clarinet, field recordings, and analogue landscapes.