Evolution of Beauty
Dates(s)
05 Oct 2026 - 08 Oct 2026
Times
See below for times
Event Info
The Marble Hall at Cardiff’s Temple of Peace will become a sanctuary of music, sound and contemplation during Cardiff Music City Festival 2026.
Welsh composer, musician and sound artist Richard James, formerly of Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, will present a newly commissioned live performance and sound installation under his musical alias, Evolution Of Beauty.
Combining analogue synthesisers, field recordings, spoken word, acoustic and electronic elements, the performances will explore harmony, disharmony and the natural resonance of the Marble Hall through looping, sound effects and improvisation.
Recordings made with musicians Jan Hendrickse, Angharad Van Rijswijk, Rhodri Davies and Gareth Bonello during improvised performances inside Wogan Cavern in 2025 will be repurposed for the installation and combined with live and partly pre-composed elements to create slow-burning performances that evolve across seven hours.
The free performances will run from 1pm to 8pm on October 5, 6 and 8 and audiences can enter and leave at any time.
Evolution of Beauty is part of city-wide programme of performances, talks, exhibitions and special events taking place during Cardiff Music City Festival 2026, which runs from October 2 to 17 and also encompasses Sŵn Festival, Llais, and the Welsh Music Prize.