KIERAN JENKINS
COMPOSER | MUSICIAN | SOUND ARTIST
threads.​
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Threads is a sound-research project that documents the artistic process of the craftmakers and artists in Sneinton Market, Nottingham.
As a body of work that investigates the sound of various industries, threads explores sustainability, slowness and the creative process as a model of resistance from the hyper-accelerated and fractured landscapes of the 21st century.
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By Our Hands We Make Our Way
Unit 41, Avenue A, Sneinton Market, NG1 1DT
To someone unfamiliar with By Our Hands We Make Our Way, passing by or perhaps peering through the shop window as I did, it would be easy to assume that this was solely a craft or woodwork shop of some kind. Upon entering an empty shop floor, I was roused by sounds coming from above, from what seemed like a loft space. From a face peering over the bannister, I was kindly invited up to a Taiwanese Tea Ceremony, held once a fortnight upstairs as a place for conversation, music listening, or simply a place to sit in quiet.​​
​In the 8 years Martin has held his space in Sneinton, By Our Hands operates as a place for artistic and creative expression. The space covers a wide range of practices, meaning the shop's function can change on any given day. From running grief support sessions where participants are encouraged to sculpt with clay, to exhibits and screenings for artists and filmmakers, tea ceremonies, and open mic nights that celebrate music, film & poetry.
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​Walking through the entrance, you are met with the sound of tubes from an organ that has been repurposed as a bell, creating a sound similar to a steam train. As I walked around the shop and chatted with Martin, I learned about his background as a games designer/developer for PS1 games in London, and his love for music, art, design and nature, and his journey which led him to own and set up By Our Hands.
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After spending around 1-2 hours on the shop floor, recording the sounds of small sculptures, tree bark, sanding machines and even acoustic instruments Martin himself had built, Martin invited me to a folk gig he was hosting on the shop floor on the weekend.
I came back three days later for the show, where a gathering of 30-40 people all sat on stools and enjoyed an evening performance from local folk songwriter Clark, the woodworking space now completely transformed into a lovely, intimate and warm venue.
threads is an ongoing sound research project.
The final soundscape will be exhibited in Nottingham in February 2026, and shortly after, the soundscape will be released online.
Luisa's Vegan Chocolate
Unit 7, Avenue A, Sneinton Market, NG1 1DT
Located in Sneinton Market, Nottingham, is Luisa's Vegan Chocolates, the UK's only 100% handmade vegan artisanal chocolatier.
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During my visit, I was guided by Louisa's partner and fellow chocolatier, Martin, who walked me through the process of crafting their incredible chocolates. From grinding the beans to refining the grains and notes of the chocolate in the Melange Conch over a three-day period, I was given a detailed explanation of the process.
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At the root of Lusia's practice is an ethical and sustainable model for chocolate, from sourcing the highest quality beans from family-operated cacao farms, to paying their vendors over 60% more than Fairtrade, showing not only care and detail for her own craft, but also to the history and trace of the cocoa beans used in her process.
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To learn more about Lousia and her work, please visit the website below:
threads is an ongoing sound research project.
The final soundscape will be exhibited in Nottingham in February 2026, and shortly after, the soundscape will be released online.
‘If there is to be a liveable and shared future on our planet, it will be a future offline, uncoupled from the world-destroying systems and operations of 24/7 capitalism’ (Crary, 2022).
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The impact of the internet industrial complex has largely followed a trajectory of negative effects, with online social media functioning as an ‘engine of addiction, loneliness…squandered life, the corrosion of memory and social disintegration’ (Crary, 2022)
It is worth noting that the irony of this work being posted and articulated online is not lost on me.
It is with hope, however, that sharing this collection of community gathered sounds and images can be used for illustrating the beauty of reducing our connections to the culture, waste and excess of global capitalism, and thinking in terms of closeness, proximity and community threads.
Unit 11, Avenue A, Sneinton Market, NG1 1DT
Approaching Sneinton Market from the town, one of the first shops that appears is The Watered Garden. If the plants and greenery don't catch your attention as you walk by, it's perhaps due to the condensation runnning down the windows - a beautiful reminder of the nature of plants and their internal ecosystem within The Watered Garden that keeps them healthy.
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Reflecting on this idea of the shop's internal ecosystem, I spent the morning recording many sounds imperceptible to the human ear, using hydrophones and geophones to capture the movement of water passing through the soil and small pebbles that form the foundation of their plants and terrariums. ​​​
threads is an ongoing sound research project.
The final soundscape will be exhibited in Nottingham in February 2026, and shortly after, the soundscape will be released online.