Sam Bland is a sound artist, composer, workshop leader and activist currently completing his Masters in Composition at the University of Birmingham. He is interested in the potential of sound art and soundscape composition to present and investigate social history. His work often combines interviews, field recordings, archive recordings and electronics to produce dense and politically engaged soundscapes.

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Community engagement is an integral part of Sam's practice. He has been commissioned by the Croydon Art Store and Croydon Council to run young artist workshops on Sound Art, as well producing two pieces for the organisations. Through lockdown he ran two successful community projects over Zoom with Pembroke Academy of Music and We Are All Bats listening channel. Both these projects explored group composition, sound art and social history through regular online sessions with mixed ability groups of young people and adults

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In 2019 Sam released his first solo E.P which combined solo piano and electronics. He has recently finished writing the music for the short film, Home Coming, the score was nominated for best original soundtrack at Feel the Reel International Film Festival and the production won best student film and best actor. Recently he has performed at Centrala in Digbeth and explored new material with the Ligeti String Quartet.

 

Sam previously worked at the Brockley Jack Theatre, in South London,  as their associate technician. He operated light and sound for many of their bi-monthly scratch nights and productions including: All That Remains (August 2019) and V (November 2019). He also worked as Sound Recordist and resident Composer at the Brockley Jack's Connect Film Project, funded by the Arts Council. He also been volunteered at the Walworth Community Food Hub in Southwark throughout the pandemic.