The Voice

Pattering, chattering, squawking and singing - join us as we explore the unexpected qualities of the voice. Discover the extraordinary beauty of this everyday instrument as you build a replica vocal tract, get up close to an incognito opera singer, and meet a talking parrot. Stretch your glottis with a live voice remix session or a walkie-talkie conversation, experience the power of the broadcast voice in its many guises, or take part in one of our evening talks.

This is a special late-night event with a bar running all night.

This event is free. Drop in any time.

Tickets for the talks will be available from Wellcome Collection on the night of the event only.

Free entertainment, interaction and activities

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  Vox Anatomica
  Experience this new site-specific work for voices, which maps the body through sound. Devised by artist Mikhail Karikis with the Wellcome Trust staff choir, Vox Anatomica explores how a range of vocal frequencies resonate across the body.

  Part one: 19.30, part two: 20.30, part three: 21.30. Drop in

• 
  A Beautiful Noise (British Sign Language interpreted) 

  How do we make the sounds of speech, and what's the role of our upright gait? Join neuroscientist Sophie Scott as she discusses speech from the chest up.

  20.00-20.30. Tickets are available from 19.00 in the Williams Lounge on the lower ground floor. BSL users can contact access@wellcomecollection.org to book from now.

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• 
  Talking with Machines

  Speech technologist Roger K Moore contemplates a future in which we converse with artificial agents and robot companions, and discusses the challenges this presents.

  21.00-21.30 Tickets are available from 19.00 in the Williams Lounge on the lower ground floor.

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  Voices of the Dead
  Hear tales of ventriloquism and telepathy and the legend of ‘his master's voice’, as composer Sarah Angliss explores the early history of recorded sound.

  22.00-22.30. Tickets are available from 19.00 in the Williams Lounge on the lower ground floor.

   

• 
  Cabaret of the Extraordinary Working Voice

  Experience yodelling, pick up tips from a vocal coach, hear how audio description brings the world to life and marvel at a sports commentator’s patter.

  Sets start at 19.30, 20.30 and 21.30, and they last 45 minutes. Just drop in.

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  Voices in the Dark
  Join radio collective In the Dark for a night of stories told through sound as they dim the lights and explore the voice, the mind and everything in between.

  Sets start at 19.30, 20.15, 21.00, 21.45 and 22.30, and they last 20 minutes. Limited places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

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  The Voice #Feeded
  Take part in an interactive installation created entirely from voices and sounds collected throughout the evening, and hear yourself remixed by Incidental using their Feed music app.