Roy Claire Potter is an artist writer who performs, exhibits and publishes.
Across their multidisciplinary practice — spanning experimental writing, vocal performance, drawing, sound art and installation — they build stories from fragmented, intense images depicting moving bodies, domestic scenes or architectural settings. An interest in communication constraints, subtext and narrative sequencing shapes this work, which often explores complex group dynamics or the aftermath of violent events, sometimes with a wilful humour. They frequently collaborate with musicians and sound artists for radio and festival contexts.
Liverpool Biennial
'COMMS FAIL' (2026)
On Saturday 2nd May 2026, Roy Claire Potter and collaborators presented a new live performance, ‘COMMS FAIL’, reflecting on solar weather, radio waves, communications failure and remote connection.
Roy worked with a team of fellow artists, radio astronomers, amateur radio operators, musicians and creative consultants to research and develop ‘COMMS FAIL’. Several iterations, including a performance, a live radio broadcast, an album with a booklet, and a sculptural installation, explore the grammar of communicative resilience and remote connection by amplifying autistic perspectives.
The staged performance was written for three voices with music composed by Carmel Smickersgill, which invited a live audience to help produce a radio broadcast for a remote audience. There was gentle interaction with ushers and performers to pick their
On Saturday 2nd May 2026, Roy Claire Potter and collaborators presented a new live performance, ‘COMMS FAIL’, reflecting on solar weather, radio waves, communications failure and remote connection. Roy worked with a team of fellow artists, radio astronomers, amateur radio operators, musicians and creative consultants to research and develop ‘COMMS FAIL’. Several iterations, including a performance, a live radio broadcast, an album with a booklet, and a sculptural installation, explore the grammar of communicative resilience and remote connection by amplifying autistic perspectives. The staged performance was written for three voices with music composed by Carmel Smickersgill, which invited a live audience to help produce a radio broadcast for a remote audience. There was gentle interaction with ushers and performers to pick their preferred spot to enjoy the action, and to contribute by making sounds or being quiet, moving props, or being a witness. The performance and simultaneous radio broadcast lasted 1 hour and began with ushers welcoming guests into a large, dimly lit performance space. Throughout the performance, soft white spotlights occasionally turned red, acting as a cue for the live audience to interact with sound-making props to herald listeners elsewhere. COMMS FAIL was also mixed live for broadcast on Resonance FM online and 104.4 FM in Central London. Later in 2026, further iterations of the project can be encountered at an exhibition of sound and sculpture at Chapter in Cardiff and through an album release and publication by Cafe OTO, London.
'COMMS FAIL' (2026)
Research and development has been generously supported by Art Explora, Paris, and informed by consultancy from Erik Chancy (LB1KJ) of Norsk Radio Relæ Liga, Philippe Zarka CNRS Research Director at Paris Observatory, and by the work of Professor Philippa Browning at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Manchester.
Credits
Written, devised and produced by Roy Claire Potter
Performed by Roy Claire Potter, Lucy Enderby, Alex Symington, Anya Taylor, Jamie Gawronski and Rima Salem
Set design by Roy Claire Potter with contributions from Jamie Gawronski, Elodie Horsewell, Andrew Li, Rima Salem and Anya Taylor
Music composed by Carmel Smickersgill
Additional sounds by Jamie Gawronski, Roy Claire Potter, Peter Messmer and Philippe Zarka
Arrangement and audio production by Kit Callin
Technical production by William Rose
Technical assistance from Elodie Horsewell
This project is an Unlimited UK Partner Award 2025 commission with Liverpool Biennial made possible thanks to funding from Arts Council England.