Abbas Zahedi (b. 1984, London, UK) is an artist working at the intersections of sonic and sculptural forms, exploring systems of care, thresholds of experience and the social architectures of our time. His practice has been described as a form of dissociative realism – moving between intimacy and estrangement, and attuned to forms of meaning that sit beyond the purely material. A former medic with training in psychiatry, Zahedi holds an MA in Contemporary Photography and Philosophy from Central Saint Martins. Recent awards include the Stanley Picker Fellowship (2024), Artangel: Making Time (2023), Frieze Artist Award (2022), Paul Hamlyn Foundation Award (2021), and the Khadijah Saye Memorial Scholarship (2017). He is an Associate Lecturer at the Royal College of Art, London, and has taught widely in the UK and internationally.
Abbas Zahedi and collaborators
SONIC SUPPORT: ECO (THE EXTRACORPOREAL ORCHESTRA)
March 2026-April 2027
This year-long programme of workshops, peer-led grief circles, transmissions and performances aims to support people to reflect on their experiences of grief, death and dying through sonic explorations. Led by Abbas Zahedi, SONIC SUPPORT: ECO (The Extracorporeal Orchestra) will provide patients, staff and the public opportunities to navigate experiences of loss and dying through sound.
Bi-monthly grief circles, connected via Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s staff support service CONTACT, and sound workshops will directly support the wellbeing of frontline staff, patients and clients at Charing Cross Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital, Maggie’s West London and Royal Trinity Hospice.
A series of six public performances in collaboration with sound artist Tom Harris and other collaborators, designed for staff, patients and visitors to Royal Trinity Hospice Clapham, the UK’s oldest hospice, will aim to transform the hospice environment into an active, improvisational space. These will form the basis of a monthly radio broadcast series with community radio station Refuge Worldwide, enabling global audiences to engage with grief privately and on demand.
Zahedi works at the intersections of sonic and sculptural forms, exploring systems of care, thresholds of experience and the social architectures of our time. His practice has been described as a form of ‘dissociative realism’ – moving between intimacy and estrangement and attuned to forms of meaning that sit beyond the purely material.
Working in collaboration with hospices, hospitals and public sites, Zahedi creates space for collective and individual listening, exploring how sound can support reflection, care and creative expression within end-of-life and healthcare contexts. SONIC SUPPORT: ECO (The Extracorporeal Orchestra) offers regular opportunities for people, including audiences, patients and staff to participate in sonic practices that foreground listening, presence and improvisation.
The project will culminate in a permanent sound installation installed within The Sanctuary Garden at Charing Cross Hospital. Designed as a quiet, calm and peaceful space for staff, patients, friends, family and visitors, the garden provides a tranquil outdoor area for people experiencing the grief and sadness of losing a loved one. Hospital staff use the garden to take a quiet moment away from the wards and switch off from the pressures of work.
SONIC SUPPORT: ECO (The Extracorporeal Orchestra) forms part of Imperial Health Charity’s Artist in Residence Programme, delivered in collaboration with Studio Voltaire, and supported by Arts Council England and Imperial Health Charity.
Imperial Health Charity helps hospitals do more through grants, arts, volunteering and fundraising. Working in partnership with the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Imperial Health Charity funds major redevelopments, research and medical equipment at five London hospitals – Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and the Western Eye – as well as helping patients and their families at times of extreme financial difficulty. Supporting the arts in healthcare, Imperial Health Charity manages an Arts Council-accredited hospital art collection and runs an arts engagement programme for patients and NHS staff. Imperial Health Charity also manages volunteering across all five hospitals, adding value to the work of staff and helping to improve the hospital experience for patients.
Abbas Zahedi, Begin Again. Installation view as part of Gathering Ground at Tate Modern, 2025. Photo Hydar Dewachi.