Janet Cardiff at Howard Assembly Room, Leeds

Has anyone seen/heard the new installation of Janet Cardiff's sound work 'Forty Part Motet' at the Howard Assembly Room, Leeds? It's a stunning piece, that captivated me when I first saw it fresh out of the studio in 2001 at the National Gallery of Canada for the Millennium Prize. The work has 40 speakers set up around a room, each with a different voice recorded in a choir performing Talli's Spem in Alium - Forty Part Motet. The visitor can stand amidst the choir, or create a 'sound journey' by moving around the room.

When I first saw it in Ottawa, Canada, the work was displayed in the Rideau Chapel. This heightened its religious connotations. People were crying in there! Here in Leeds, the Howard Assembly Room is within the Grand Theatre, of Opera North. I felt this refocussed the work towards its musicality. Did anyone else have this experience? I know it's been shown around the UK, and I was interested to hear how people experienced the work, depending on the space it was sited in.