V&A Christmas Tree

Working with world-renowned stage designer Es Devlin and creative agency Sunshine, res.lab were responsible for creating the soundtrack for the V&A’s Christmas tree this year. Currently on display in the Museum’s Grand Entrance, the ‘Singing Tree’ is an audio-visual installation that invites visitors to contribute words that are transformed into an interactive choir of human and synthesised voices.

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The original soundtrack is a beautiful piece of choral music, made up of multiple layers of male and female voices that transforms during the 5-week installation, gradually evolving as more words are added to the conversation by the general public.

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res.lab were also responsible for designing the bespoke playback system in partnership with Yamaha. This multi-speaker setup was discretely housed inside the base of the tree to allow for maximum sound quality within the installation space, while maintaining a visually pleasing aesthetic for the tree.

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[Photos courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum]

Client
Es Devlin

Concept
Es Devlin

Video Design
Luke Halls Studio

Music Composition & Sound Design
res.lab

Audio System Design
res.lab

Creative Technologist
Ross Goodwin

Build
Lizzieprops, Michael Whiteley Studio

Projection
PRG

Sound System
Yamaha

Lead Associate Designer
Max Klaentschi

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