Peter Doig's exhibition 'House of Music' at Serpentine South in London features his paintings alongside a restored Western Electric/Bell Labs sound system from the late 1920s, salvaged from UK cinemas. The show includes works like 'Maracas' (2002-08), inspired by a memory of a sound system in Trinidad, and 'Music of the Future' (2002-07). A series of live Sunday events called 'Sound Service' activates the sound system, with Doig, Ed Ruscha, Arthur Jafa, and Linton Kwesi Johnson among those playing records.
The exhibition marks a departure from Doig's previous UK museum shows by making sound systems as central as the paintings, reflecting his multidisciplinary interests and long collaboration with sound expert Laurence Passera. Serpentine artistic director Hans Ulrich Obrist highlights how combining music and visual art creates a unique emotional experience, while the vintage sound system offers sublime audio quality and sculptural beauty. This approach aligns with Obrist's history of pairing art and sound, and underscores Doig's exploration of memory and cultural forms beyond painting.