Radio Ballads

The special project curated by Serpentine takes its name from a very revolutionary series of eight radio plays broadcast on the BBC between 1957-64. Focusing on workers’ experiences and struggles through a combination of song, music, sound effects and the voices of communities, each ballad presented the life in the UK at a time of rapid growth and change. Building on this rich history, Radio Ballads aims at creating new contemporary ballads that, by examining a changing society, highlight how artistic collaboration can create spaces to reflect on, and process, experiences of mental health, domestic abuse, terminal illness, grief, care, healing, inequalities.