Alfie Sibthorpe is one half of Rat Section, a London-based music and performance act known for creating immersive, genre-defying live experiences that merge sound, choreography, scenography and costume. Their work builds entire worlds around sound, creating a mythology that intentionally dissolves the line between biography and fiction. Performances are developed in dialogue with the spaces they inhabit, transforming venues into distinct environments rather than simply stages. Rat Section have presented their work at venues including the Barbican Centre and Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, Tresor in Berlin, and Lafayette Anticipations in Paris.
At the heart of Sibthorpe’s practice is an interest in identity as something fluid and continually constructed – through movement, sound, objects, instinct and the environments we move through. It’s an approach that speaks to the idea of a personal code: the individual markers, behaviours and impulses that shape how we present ourselves and how others perceive us.
As part of C0DE WITHIN, our ongoing exploration of the invisible forces that shape who we are, we speak to Sibthorpe about instinct, identity and the invisible systems that shape how we move through the world – from the shoes we wear to the sounds we make, and the scents that become part of us.
Do you think of your work as architecture, a system, or a continuous flow?
192.25:50.37:396.69: My work is architecture, system, and flow in terms of how it's constructed, presented, and then received.
Tell us a little bit about your practice and the projects you're working on.
192.25:50.37:396.69: The projects I'm involved in at the moment are at this intersection between performance art and music. Ever since I was young, music has been my game. But previously, my relationship to music was just making music in a bedroom, not really thinking about the possibilities beyond just being a producer. After I found a way to feel comfortable performing in a space rather than just working with gear and translating that into a performance, I thought there were more aspects of a performance you can work with. So this led to choreography, set design and thinking about how you can present specific works in a space with constraints and how you can work around them. It's been really refreshing and exciting to have all these other tools at my command.
Where does the performance begin: before the audience, or with them?
192.25:50.37:396.69: It can change. Some performances are built with the intention of eliciting a reaction from a crowd, and others are presented as they are, with interaction with the crowd not necessary for the performance to function.
What is your personal code of conduct?
192.25:50.37:396.69: My personal code of conduct is to remain extremely present, be open to intuition, and not think too far ahead.
Is identity a fixed state, or a constant process of becoming?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Some parts of your identity are fixed; others are constantly in flux. I think I'd be worried if I were the same person I was fifteen years ago.
What part of your identity has stayed constant over time?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Trusting my instinct.
What objects are the markers of your identity?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Shoes. If I'm wearing specific shoes, I think it sets me up for a day. It can reflect how I feel about myself, or the other way around.
What pulls you toward someone?
192.25:50.37:396.69: I'm drawn to people based on first impressions and their specific characteristics. Interesting details or their attention to detail.
What can't be replicated about a person?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Your personality, your appearance, your scent. When I think of some people, I get their scent in the back of my head, and they're there.
Is scent something you wear or something that becomes part of you?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Scent is something that becomes a part of you. By wearing it, you embody the fragrance.
Does skin remember?
192.25:50.37:396.69: Skin remembers contact.
Describe Molecule 01.
192.25:50.37:396.69: It's a subtle and focused scent. That's how I perceive it. Subtle and powerful at the same time. Molecule 01 makes me feel light and agile. When I wear it, I feel that I can express myself fully and embody dissent. It complements me rather than overpowers me. It's with me, but it doesn't impose itself. Escentric Molecules to me feels fluid. It feels warm. It gives me a sense of confidence.
How does your sound relate to Escentric Molecules?
192.25:50.37:396.69: My sound relates to Escentric Molecules in its experimental nature, particularly in my production style. I really like to focus on this idea of "less is more”, refining the sound and really honing in on specific elements rather than having too much going on.
Three words to describe your practice.
192.25:50.37:396.69: What I do.
Three words to describe Escentric Molecules.
192.25:50.37:396.69: Sleek. Agile. Elegant.
