Madness and humour are different sides of the same coin. The program, where music permeated different corners of the Z Ward

Erik Griswold’s The Little Toy Piano Book embodies the spirit of the child, and featured music for percussion – is humour and quirkiness personified.

Sound artist Christopher Williams, winner of the 2013 Atmosphären Soundscape Composition Contest, ZKM, Karlsruhe/Berlin, has been commissioned to create Z Ward: A site-specific work whereby narratives of people closely tied to the building’s history are interwoven with his personal, foreboding impressions through electronic music. Williams’ radiophonic play The Glass Cage is designed around Michael Russell’s personal account as a victim of mis-diagnosed illness, trapped within the mental health system. The Z Ward is permeated with a terrible sadness, and the concert was testament to the healing power of music.

Audiences were invited to wander through Rod McRae’s intriguing cabinet of curiosities After-Life on Level 1 Ward. The fascinating exhibition drew on McRae’s interest in taxidermy. Working with ethically sourced specimens as diverse as polar bears, giraffes, donkeys and insects, he creates fascinating installations to challenge our perceptions of the natural world, and the non-human species that inhabit it.

Gabriella Smart, music curator, Hidden Sounds from the Z Ward.