“Cityread, under the imaginative, clever and ridiculously hard-working Andy Ryan, is an all-round winner. A project such as Cityread which brings together London's variety and creativity to focus on and work with one shared experience is a boon and a gift.”
Louisa Young, author of Cityread 2014

Audible announced as sponsor of Cityread London 2016

Audible, the world’s leading provider of spoken audio entertainment, has teamed up with Cityread London to get the capital listening to this year’s featured book, Ten Days by Gillian Slovo (Canongate) released on 3 March in print and audio.

This year’s Cityread features a digital storytelling installation, with sound and stories provided by Audible in The Gallery at Foyles, Charing Cross Road, a gallery curated and managed by Futurecity. The installation will allow visitors to immerse themselves in Ten Days, the gripping political thriller, by listening to audio excerpts of key moments from the book, brought to life by narrator Joe Jameson. “Stories from the Streets” opens at Foyles on 31 March and runs till 7 May. There will also be smaller mobile installations which will tour London’s libraries.

“Stories from the Streets” sees the creation of a ‘police control centre’ within The Gallery at Foyles bookshop’s central London gallery space, where visitors can interact with extracts taken from the first 72 hours of the Ten Days audiobook. Content is ‘triggered’ by placing evidence relating to each scene onto a control desk panel, generating audio and visual cues. A second area of the installation, modelled in part on the wooden hoardings that covered up broken shop windows in the 2011 London riots, will encourage visitors to the gallery to contribute their own responses to the book and its themes.

Portable versions of the installation dubbed ‘evidence booths’ – complete with audio content triggered by ‘evidence’ from the book - will tour around London libraries throughout the duration of the campaign, with week-long residencies planned in twelve locations.

The installation has been produced in partnership with Bristol-based Stand + Stare and creative director Jon Slack. Stand + Stare is the artistic collaboration of brother and sister Barney Heywood and Lucy Telling. From their Bristol studio, they create interactive exhibitions, installations and apps for a range of settings. They often incorporate tangible, real things, such as objects you can handle or books you flick through, which are enhanced through the use of digital technology. Clients include Carnegie Hall, The Royal Shakespeare Company, Museum of Science & Industry and Random House.

“We’re delighted to be working with Cityread to get the capital listening and also with Canongate and Gillian Slovo to bring Gillian’s insightful story, Ten Days, to audio. The installation at Foyles later this month is going to be a unique way for people to listen to the story, interact and respond to the themes. It’s great that it will also tour London’s libraries giving even more people the chance to listen to fantastic digital storytelling.” Tracey Markham, Country Manager, Audible

“Cityread will also feature a range of events across London’s library network and a giveaway of 1000 copies of the book across 10 days in April in key London locations linked to the book’s plot and themes. In addition Audible have made a free download of the book available to anyone who signs up to Audible for a free trial.” Andy Ryan, Director of Cityread

The news follows Audible Studios’ acquisition of the world audio rights (excluding North America) for the book from Canongate. Ten Days takes an unflinching look at how lives are ruined and careers are made when small misjudgements have profound effects on frustrated communities and damaged individuals.