WORKS

MAYA: The Birth of a Superhero

Composer + Producer

MAYA: The Birth of a Superhero is a wildly imaginative, 30-minute virtual reality immersive animated film. It forms part of award-winning activist and transmedia artist Poulomi Basu’s law-changing multimedia project, Blood Speaks, which explores menstrual exile and violence against women in South Asia. Co-directed by award-winning director CJ Clarke, the story follows a South Asian girl navigating adolescence, the awakening of her sexuality and the discovery of her inner strength. 

The film was shortlisted at Festival de Cannes 2024, with BISHI’s evocative, deeply human score quietly underpinning the film’s emotional power. Blending Hindustani and Western classical traditions with electronic experimentation, the score showcases BISHI’s four-octave vocal range, electric sitar, avant-garde textures and immersive cinematic, electronic soundscapes. “Music is a multi-sensory, synaesthetic experience for me,” says BISHI. “When I see visuals, particularly moving images, I hear melodies, rhythms and textures in my mind.”

BISHI said, “It was a dream come true to compose and produce my first original soundtrack especially for a groundbreaking immersive VR by a fellow South Asian artist. This project highlights global menstrual stigma and the culture of shame and silence around women’s bodies, reproductive health and rights, so it brings together art and activism, which is a great passion of mine”

Defiance Fighting The Far Right

Composer + Producer

Defiance: Fighting the Far Right examines how British Asians and immigrants were targeted with a campaign of violence and murder between 1976 and 1981, as National Front and extremist activity became increasingly prominent. The series investigates seminal events ranging from the Southall protests, the death of Blair Peach, the Battle for Brick Lane and the extraordinary story of the Bradford 12. Through a cache of archive footage and compelling new testimony from key figures on the front line at the time, the ground-breaking documentary series shows what happened when the British Asian community decided to fight back.   

This particularly timely series lifts the lid on a period in recent British history, in which the violence, injustice – as well as the extraordinary courage of those who confronted it – resonates through the decades, as well as holding a mirror and bringing context to the scenes of extremism and racism across the UK that dominate the news headlines today.

Defiance: Fighting the Far Right won Best Documentary at the 2024 Eastern Eye ACTAs. The series was hailed with critical acclaim when it first aired on Channel 4 earlier this year. The acclaimed three-part documentary was produced by Rogan Productions and executive produced by Riz Ahmed.

BBC Radio 5Live’s Nihal Arthanayake said the series is “incredible viewing whether you’re Asian or not”. The Guardian said: “This striking three-part documentary… does a compelling job of telling the personal and political stories behind Britain’s Asian community as it faced violence and murder between 1976 and 1981.” The Times gave the series four stars, describing it as “powerful”. The Telegraph praised the series as “fresh, important and detailed” and gave it four stars.

Reflektions

Composer + Producer + Musician + Performer

Originally commissioned for Ludic Rooms’ 2021 Random String Festival, Reflektions is a mesmerising audiovisual installation that seamlessly merges immersive music with volumetric 3D capture. Designed with high versatility for contemporary art spaces, the work has evolved from its original site-specific presentation, which split intimate directional audio across five large screens mounted in the Coventry canal basin. It can be installed as a striking, single-screen or three-screened adaptation tailored for theatres and gallery exhibitions, complete with a reflective floor surface that mirrors its visual depth. Visuals designed by Jonathan Hogg.

The Soundscape: A Meditation on Creativity

At the heart of Reflektions is a nine-minute original musical composition composed by BISHI and co-produced by BISHI and Richard Norris. The piece serves as a profound reflection on the universal nature of creativity, weaving together a rich tapestry of world-class contributors:

• Spiritual Prose: Features sacred passages from the Bhagavad Gita and the poetry of Kahlil Gibran, recited by legendary Coventry-born singer Hazel O'Connor.

• Instrumental Artistry: Layered with evocative contributions from violinist and composer Anna Phoebe, alongside film composer and artist Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres.

The Visual Canvas: Coventry Reimagined

Visual art collective Output Arts translated this sonic journey into a stunning digital landscape. Utilising advanced motion capture and volumetric 3D technology, the visuals pay homage to Coventry's vibrant cultural fabric, incorporating:

• Local Heritage: Instantly recognisable landmarks, including the historic ruins of the old Cathedral and the Lady Godiva statue in Broadgate.

• Community Spirit: Elements inspired by the city’s thriving live music scene and emerging art collectives.

• The Artist's Presence: Ethereal, digitised representations of BISHI herself.

Exhibition History and Milestones

Reflektions and its sister installations have captivated audiences globally, proving highly adaptable to prestigious galleries, outdoor heritage sites, and festivals:

• Coventry Canal Basin, UK (World Premiere)

• Body and Soul Festival, Ireland

• Mack Sennett Studios, Los Angeles

• Bristol Arnolfini (Featuring a special live performance)

• Greenwich UNESCO World Heritage Site (Diwali 2022): In a historic milestone, BISHI became the first artist ever to have her work projected across the Queen’s House and the Old Royal Naval College. This monumental, looping four-hour installation drew over 10,000 visitors, demonstrating the immense public appeal and scale of her collaborative vision.

‘Of Herculine’ Composed for Trans Voices

Composer + Performer

BISHI has developed a distinctive writing style centred on experimentation and the improvisation of her four-octave vocal range. Her compositions draw on a diverse array of influences, including plaintive chant, pastoral folk, Meredith Monk, Bulgarian music, and Indian classical music.

Her project, Celestial Voices (Swargiya Awaz), featured the world premiere of Of Herculine, a choral work composed specifically for the UK’s first professional trans+ choir, Trans Voices, who joined BISHI on stage at the Brighton Festival 2023. Inspired by the life of Herculine Barbin, whose birth date globally marks Intersex Day of Remembrance, the piece was composed to highlight the violence inherent within the binary sex and gender system.

‘Pete Townshend Studio -Artist in Residence, University of West London

Composer + Producer

During her tenure as Artist in Residence at the Pete Townshend Studio at the University of West London in May and June 2025, BISHI immersed herself in sound design. Her work focused on creating virtual instruments and building custom sample libraries to weave into her developing choral compositions.

During this residency at the studio, which was officially opened by Pete Townshend of The Who, BISHI composed and produced her piece, "River". The composition reflects her expanding choral practice as a form of ritual, blending layered analogue synthesis with Hindustani classical music, Bulgarian choral traditions, contemporary choral writing, and electric sitar. The track prominently features a range of classic analogue synthesisers, including the ARP 2600, Synthi 100, and Juno-106.

Lyrically, "River" emerges from her active engagement with activist circles addressing global environmental and geopolitical polycrises. In search of alternative ways of being, the piece evolves from a single river into a powerful sea of voices, inviting listeners to contemplate their own place within collective change.