What Persists

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What Persists is a new suite of tape-based compositions by Waterford musician and multidisciplinary artist Chris Falconer (who creates under the name Waiting Space), Imagine Arts Festival’s Commissioned Artist for 2026, to mark the festival’s 25th anniversary.

Responding to this milestone and the festival’s 2026 theme of In Memories We Grow, the project explores ideas of memory, repetition, impermanence, persistence, and the passing of time. Using cassette tapes as both a recording medium and a creative tool, Falconer combines piano, synthesizers, environmental recordings, and excerpts from taped conversations with people who have helped shape Imagine over the past 25 years.

The decision to work with tape was a deliberate one, not just because of its longstanding association with archiving, but also because it introduces a new approach to composition for Falconer, in which sounds are recorded, repeated, looped at unexpected intervals, altered, and sometimes allowed to fade. In this way, the creative process itself reflects how memories are retained, revisited, and changed over time, with unexpected details sometimes lost, distorted, or enriched in the process.

The commission offered Falconer his first opportunity to explore tape as a creative medium, with the compositions written sequentially as his understanding of the process developed. The resulting suite reflects not only the people, places, and experiences that have contributed to the festival’s history, but also the experience of learning and creating something new.

What Persists will also act as a soundtrack to Growing an Archive, an exhibition by artist Kateo that brings together photographs documenting the festival’s 25-year history, alongside mixed-media interpretations that revisit and reimagine elements of its visual archive.

Both What Persists and Growing an Archive will be presented daily at the festival’s main hub, located at 49B O’Connell Street, Waterford, Ireland, from 10:00–18:00, 20–25th October 2026.

Falconer will also deliver an artist-led talk and workshop titled Studio, Anywhere, exploring approaches to music production, live performance, and the relationship between sound and moving image. Drawing on his multidisciplinary practice, he will share practical insights into using accessible technology to create and integrate sound and visuals, with a focus on musicians and visual artists interested in working across disciplines. The talk will take place at St. Patrick's Gateway Centre on Friday 23rd October at 18:00. Tickets are available for purchase from Imagine Arts Festival's website.