Oberon is an artist at the intersection between music, sound and performance.
They hail from South East Wales, under thirty miles from where the river Usk carves out the border with England.
Perhaps this explains the recurring disintegration and blurring of borders and boundaries in Oberon’s practice.
With a background in classical singing and electronic music making, in recent years they have turned their attention towards songwriting and production. Oberon’s songs integrate influences from the traditional music of the British Isles, the pulsing rhythms of underground club culture, and the ever-evolving tradition of pop music’s avant-garde.
They are currently working on their debut release as a solo recording artist.
Oberon was living and working in London for a decade, where they developed their artistic practice, after moving away from a career path as a classical singer. Combining music-making with cabaret and drag, they established themself as a fixture of London’s queer performance scene.
Treading a path between sublime, grotesque, intimate and absurd, their work often spoke to a tension between ‘artist’ and ‘entertainer’, and explored the different possibilities of traditional and unconventional performance spaces.
The scope of Oberon’s practice expanded to include longer form work. These multidisciplinary performances were shaped by an evolving performance practice incorporating sound design, composition, writing and ritual. These works were presented at spaces for theatre, music, cabaret, live art and clubbing and envisaged the performing space as a site for solidarity, connection and changemaking.
Photo Credit: Liam Boath
Solo show ‘winegod’ (2018-20) explored the relationship between ancient and contemporary queer identities and was shown at spaces across the UK.
Oberon’s music, sound design and performance work has been presented with organisations including:
The Royal Ballet, The National Theatre, Roundhouse, Duckie, Pleasance, Wales Millenium Centre, SPILL, Corsica Studios, Iklectik, The Yard, Rough Trade.
Their work has been supported and platformed by:
Help Musicians Transmission Fund, UK New Artists City Takeover, Create’s Nurturing Talent Programme.
They are an alumnus of Roundhouse's Resident Artist scheme.
Oberon is currently completing a masters degree in ‘Sound Design and Audiovisual Practice’ at the University of Glasgow, alongside their ongoing creative work.
Photo Credit: Tom Morley
