Tom Milsom's Organs Launch Party in association with Somewhere to ____
Musician Tom Milsom chose to commemorate the release of his album Organs with a launch party held across four days at an indoor space — previously a high street shop — converted to resemble his own bedroom.
Milsom is best known within online circles, particularly the British Youtube community, youtube.com being the platform wherein his began his musical career and gaining recognition.
The installation was envisioned as a space for fans and followers to meet artists, including Milsom and others, who performed live music during the event, and meet one another, within a social, relaxed, positive environment.
Maroon drapes and fairy lights replicated features of the artists bedroom, his actual bed was featured in the installation, on which viewers/attendees could sit and lie on, next to a computer desk playing Organs from iTunes as incidental music.
Milsom records much of his music in his bedroom, Organs was recorded over a period of three years. He recreates his bedroom setting as a reflection of both it being such a personal, isolated space and of the autobiographical nature of his music. By reimagining this setting in a communal event, he symbolically opens his private self to the public, destroying, perhaps defeating the isolation temporarily, or at least reconciling it with his artistic creation.
Significantly the space is flooded with strangers, and Milsom allows them to alter the space by drawing on the walls with available Sharpie's, literally leaving their mark on Milsom’s private life.
Additionally, a series of performances were staged over the four days, including a film screening accompanied by improvised live music, a “mass exodus” (Facebook event page) to Replay live music event at Islington Assembly hall in which Milsom performed, and a filmed performance and interview with Somewhere To___.
This passage first appeared in Josh Philpott's BA Sculpture Development File 2013-14
