Ms. Heap is a galvanizing presence and a catalyst for change; the rare artist who is willing to channel her dissatisfaction into something tangible, and – given her popularity – able to have people pay attention. This spirit has resulted in, among other things, pioneering the practice of self-releasing music with 2005’s Speak for Yourself, long before it became somewhat of the norm to do so; to wrapping each song around a different project for her 2014 album, Sparks; to inventing a Musical glove that she’s presented at TED and other stages (and you really must see to understand).
Via Zoe Keating, who I interviewed on the subject of Bitcoin and the Arts, I was introduced to her good friend, Ms. Heap, and recently had the opportunity to speak – via Skype (Ms. Heap lives in England) and email — with her.
A big part of this change, Ms. Heap feels, will involve crypto currency and blockchain-like technology. Ms. Heap acknowledges that we’re some time away from “solving” the problem, but Ms. Heap’s vision – a project she refers to as Mycelia – for how this change might come about is the most fully-formed I’ve yet to hear from anyone.
Below is Part One of my interview with Ms. Heap, in which we discuss the motivation for Mycelia, and Ms. Heap presents a surface level overview of the concept. In part Two, Heap takes us much deeper; providing specific details of how Mycelia and its ecosystem could practically work, Future posts will bring in other voices and ideas around this.
Watch this space, Imogen Heap is primed, and it’s about to get interesting
Read the full Interview:
