If you don't know...Helena Almeida

…Let me introduce you!

Helena Almeida is a Sound Designer & Location Recordist based in London UK, originally from Lisbon, Portugal. She studied at Goldsmiths and is inspired by a range of multidisciplinary artists and forms.

I asked her some questions!

HALEY: How do you describe your work? 

HELENA: My work is very intuitive, I gather a lot of sounds from my surroundings and piece it together - it has a lot of influence from collage and performance art itself. Most of the time it’s just noise that needs some sort of visual support.  I then experiment with different plug-ins and it takes me a few weeks to finish one or two tracks. There’s a lot of looping and layering to make things, some completely different and unrecognisable! I really enjoy playing as much as possible with no pressure.

HALEY: What’s your artistic mission? 

HELENA: My work is actually dedicated to myself. I have difficulties communicating openly so my work makes me feel good, it’s a place where I don’t need to explain much. 

HALEY: What are some favourite projects that you’ve worked on?

HELENA: (1) I would say supporting my housemate Anna Marie Synstad with her performance: Naughty. (2)  All In Your Head – which is a verbatim piece premiering on the 14th of February 2021. And (3) being the location recordist for an anti-racism debate for BBC (yet to be released).

HALEY: What are you working on these days? 

HELENA: I am currently working in the process of collaborating with artist Grace Woodcock in a kinetic performance art piece.  

HALEY: What artists do you look up to? 

HELENA: I look up to a range of interdisciplinary artists. Given the fact that my work branches out & finds inspiration in design, illustration, dance, medieval/Egyptian design; Pina Bausch, Max Ritcher, Georgia O’Keefe, Anne Hardy, Progressive Rock, Terry Riley, Don Cherry and Modernist Design. I’m fascinated by Westminster Station. It’s absolutely surreal.

You can visit Helena’s website here & Instagram here.