Matthew Herbert

One Pig is the story of a single farm animal from birth to death and beyond. Herbert was present, microphone in hand, as the animal emerged into the world and continued to document its life in audio as it grew to adulthood. Though he was prevented from recording the pig’s death by British law, the process included the recording of its subsequent butchery, cooking, consumption and the use of almost every part of the animal to make diverse products, from candles, a drum, paint and dye, to a new musical instrument which plays the animal’s blood.

The result is an elegy to an otherwise anonymous farm animal’s life, a beautiful and compelling account which prompts questions and insight into the presence of an animal so commonly underestimated, under-appreciated and unacknowledged in our society.

Recently Matthew has been working with Kevin Macdonald and Ridley Scott on the score for the documentary film 'Life in a day', with Bjork on her new album Biophilia. He has produced REM, Moloko, Roisin Murphy, Yoko Ono and Serge Gainsbourg. He recently 'recomposed' Mahler's Tenth Symphony for Deutsche Gramophon and played live shows, and djed around the world.

Using a brand new musical instrument – the Pig Sty Harp – to manipulate the samples of the animal, along with instruments made from his One Pig, Matthew and his band will retell One Pig’s story in a live show complete with a live audio-visual composition and on-stage cookery. Bacon and eggs will never be the same.