Missorts is an innovative and immersive urban soundwork for Bristol (UK) that moves beyond the conventional audiobook or city guide and into the fabric of the city via your smartphone. Missorts combines contemporary fiction and original music, and promises to immerse you in a surprising, new experience of the city.
Inspired by Bristols radical literary heritage from Thomas Chatterton to Angela Carter, the soundwork features stories by ten distinctive writers, voiced by rising stars in the theatre world. Memorable characters weave through the stories; the contemporary urban setting is newly populated by scenes of lost love and by confessions whispered in your ear.
The stories and music are triggered by GPS within an area just five minutes from Bristol Temples Meads station. Use the map to locate yourself in the Redcliffe area of the city, and listen to stories that are clearly marked by story icons. Move towards a story icon to start listening. When a story finishes the icon changes colour and the music fades back in. There are ten stories and eight pieces of music – the stories are interconnected but can be listened to in any order.
Downloading the Missorts app and being on-location in Bristol are both essential requirements for experiencing the soundwork.
Missorts is conceived and directed by writer and novelist Tony White – author of the critically acclaimed novel Foxy-T (Faber) – and commissioned by award-winning Bristol-based arts producers Situations, featuring stories by Sara Bowler, Holly Corfield-Carr, Thomas Darby, Jack Ewing, Katrina Plumb, Jess Rotas, Hannah Still, Helen Thornhill, Isabel de Vasconcellos and Sacha Waldron.
The stories are accompanied by a striking new musical composition specially commissioned from composer Jamie Telford (former keyboard player to The Jam) for St Mary Redcliffe’s Harrison and Harrison pipe organ in its centenary year.
Missorts is commissioned by Situations as part of the Bristol Legible City initiative.