How your Zoom scream could light up a Southwark Street office block

During lockdown many people will have wanted to scream at the end of a long day of video calls and online meetings. Now a new site-specific artwork by Marcus Lyall – Scream the House Down – provides a creative outlet for those frustrations.

Lyall invites you to join a Zoom call where you can scream, yell, shout or otherwise vocalise your feelings.

A monumental light installation instantly illuminates the building at 55 Southwark Street – just along from the Menier Chocolate Factory – in response to your voice.

The louder and longer your outburst, the bigger the response from the building. The building interprets every voice and scream differently, to create a unique response for each guest.

"I created the artwork as a place to direct your frustrations and tensions, without judgement and without affecting the people around you," said Marcus Lyall.

"I've used a building as a canvas to give those feelings a sense of scale."

The artwork uses low-energy LED lights to fill the building with colour.

The installation process followed social distancing guidelines, with a small team of volunteers working on different floors.

SE1-based Illuminate Productions have been involved in many of Bankside's most unusual and eye-catching arts projects over many years, including the upside down house and the melting house, as well as many other installations and performances under the umbrella of the long-running MERGE Festival.

"Lockdown is a huge challenge for everyone in the arts community," said creative director Caroline Jones.

"Despite the COVID crisis, we're aiming to continue producing relevant art projects that engage the public.

"Through this project, we are exploring ways to bring artworks to new audiences and find ways to use the transformed environment."

• See www.screamthehousedown.com for details of how to participate; the installation continues until Saturday 4 July.