Chris Watson in Belfast

Chris Watson is a British field recordist and sound artist, born in Sheffield in 1952. He co-founded the electronic group Cabaret Voltaire with Richard H. Kirk and Stephen Mallinder, then became known for wildlife recording and soundscapes built from natural environments. His solo works include Stepping into the Dark, Outside the Circle of Fire and Weather Report, while his location recordings have also featured in BBC natural-history productions including The Life of Birds and Frozen Planet. Cabaret Voltaire gave its first public performance at the University of Sheffield in 1975, beginning Chris Watson’s live history with tape loops and electronic sound. His later public presentations turned toward field recording and site-specific playback: in 2013, In St Cuthbert’s Time used sounds gathered through the seasons around Lindisfarne in an installation at Durham Cathedral.