Somerset House Podcast

Artists from the 3 Evenings programme reflect on the legacy of landmark series 9 Evenings and grapple with the ways technology is entangled in their work in 2026.

In this archive episode of the Somerset House Studios Podcast, artist collective The Feminist Internet asks what it means to have female gendered voice assistants

Somerset House Studios artists Jemma Desai and John Costi discuss how class intersects with the art world and why they decided to become artists.

The Process: Archive invites artists from our cultural programme and artist community to reflect on different works from the sonic archives and podcasts of Somerset House – from talks to soundscapes, performance to composition. In this episode, we deep dive into the transformative power of cute, exploring what happens when shrines and pop devotion intersect with the irresistible force of cuteness. Dot Alma is an artist from Greater Manchester, and is known for a touring shrine dedicated to George Michael, which is featured as part of the Holy Pop! Exhibition exploring how we idolise pop stars, cult icons, and even fictional characters have become a modern form of devotion. The former Wham! singer who died on Christmas Day in 2016. For Dot, this devotion deepened rather than faded after his death, taking on a spiritual quality that helps them explore identity and connection. Having navigated uncertain teenage years before finding peace with their identity in their twenties, Dot now lives a life of queer freedom and sees George Michael, revered by many as a queer folk-saint figure, as a model of positive queer masculinity. Dot shares what excites them about the world-building potential of pop culture, as we revisit the 2024 Process episode, Felt Cute, Might Shapeshift Later, with artist and musician Hannah Diamond. Contributors: Dot Alma; Hannah Diamond Executive Producer: Eleanor Ritter-Scott Producer: Tess Davidson Host: Laurent John Theme Music: Ka Baird Additional Sound: Dot Alma

From alternative modes of listening to live performance as a form of time travel, the Black political economy of music and the platform conditions of distribution, musician, curator and theorist, DeForrest Brown Jr. wants to discover new ways of relating to audio. In a world of noise and an oversaturated music industry, what new worlds might we discover if we reimagine how we make and listen to music? In this sonic essay for The Process, DeForrest reveals some of the ideas generated from his one-month residency at Somerset House Studios in 2025. Drawing on his research project, Rhythmanalytics, where he explores electronic music at the end of the music industry, DeForrest gives insight into his multi-media project, Synoptic Audio. In a richly textured dialogue between sound and words, DeForrest shares his experience of returning to Somerset House Studios to perform live as part of Assembly 2026 programme. Credits: Contributors: DeForrest Brown Jr Executive Producer: Eleanor Ritter-Scott Producer: Tess Davidson Sound Engineer: Mike Woolley Host: Laurent John Theme Music: Ka Baird Additional sound: DeForrest Brown Jr (live recording, Assembly, Somerset House Studios, 2026)