Nwando Ebizie's Extreme Unction Vol.2 to open at Toynbee Studios

Nwando Ebizie presents Extreme Unction Vol. 2 - a guided multi-sensory experience at Toynbee Studios this June.

Image: Nwando Ebizie. Photo by Dimitri Djuric

British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Nwando Ebizie presents Extreme Unction Vol. 2, a 70-minute guided multi-sensory experience at London's Toynbee Studios, running from 28 June -2 July. Inspired by the life and spirit of visionary Hildegard von Bingen, the performance is part of a larger immersive piece called Hildegard: Visions, commissioned by Mahogany Opera with support from Arts Council England. Extreme Unction Vol. 2 creates a transformative space where grieving and loss intersect with ecstasy and exultation, offering a liminal sonic-ritual art environment.

Image: Nwando Ebizie, Extreme Unction Vol 2. © Seren Oakley

Collaborating with architect/designer Bethany Wells and musician/instrument designer Tom Richards, Nwando has constructed the Celestial Tent as both a sculptural and sonic piece. Drawing influence from hammams, saunas, and bathing spaces from different cultures, the Tent serves as the centerpiece of the experience. Audience members will be guided by a knowledgeable host in a 20-minute welcome session, where they will be offered a hot drink curated by chef Adam Thomason. They will then have the opportunity to enter the Celestial Tent, a geodesic dome structure, for a 30-minute immersive sound and light experience. The Tent offers benches with various tactile surfaces, a central reflecting pool, and the freedom to sit, lay down, or move around. Following this, participants will be led in a 20-minute reflection and sharing session by their guide, while enjoying a refreshing cool drink.

Image: Nwando Ebizie, Extreme Unction Vol 2. © Seren Oakley

Nwando Ebizie describes Extreme Unction Vol. 2 as a liminal sonic-ritual art environment, a space where grieving and loss intersect with ecstasy and exultation. It provides a multi-sensory experience of intimacy, listening, stillness, and communing with inner and outer worlds through sound, touch, taste, and a sense of the body in space. The aim is to draw communities together after experiencing significant losses and to prepare for new beginnings. The Celestial Tent functions as a speculative architectural piece, serving as both a sonic installation and an imagined communal bathing space. It incorporates neurodivergent and biophilic design approaches and serves as an initiation into a new world, blurring the boundaries between past and present while inviting participants to bathe in mesmerising beauty and embrace oblivion before returning to new life. The sonic journey responds to ‘Favus distillans’ by Hildegard von Bingen, a sensuous song celebrating death, rebirth, and fecund fertility.

Opening on 28 June at Toynbee Studies, Extreme Unction Vol. 2 promises to be an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of traditional performance art.

Date: 28 June – 1 July 2023. Time: 2-8pm. Location: Toynbee Studios, 28 Commercial Street, E1 6AB. Price: Pay What You Can. Book now.