Sirens (I Heard Voices In The Night)

Gertrude Contemporary was pleased to present Sirens (I Heard Voices In The Night), a collaborative project initiated by Ben Abraham for Gertrude Glasshouse.

Singer and songwriter Ben Abraham has brought together 14 Australian artists including Gertrude Alumni, Laith McGregor and Rob McHaffie, to respond to songs from his debut album Sirens.

Each artist has created a new work for this project as a means of visually articulating and responding to a specific song from the album. The selected artists include a number of Abraham’s long-time friends and collaborators. In discussing the concept behind this project, Abraham says, ‘I have always been fascinated by the way that narrative moves between art forms, and I’m excited by the idea that the story of a song might exist in another form, and through another storyteller’s eyes. 

The album Sirens was also present within the exhibition at Glasshouse and visitors had the opportunity to listen to songs as they view the corresponding artworks via a specifically developed app.

Ben Abraham is a Melbourne-based singer and songwriter, distinctive for his cinematic-folk musical style. Abraham’s background in screenwriting is a key influence in his work, which is underscored by a constant pursuit of narrative and storytelling. Abraham has toured with folk-bluegrass legend, Emmylou Harris and co-written songs with Grammy-nominated singer, Sara Bareilles. His debut album Sirens was relesed in 2016 through independant record label Inertia.