The Write to Be EP was inspired by the moment when London based Japanese artist, Mieko Shimizu stumbled upon a tiny house in a doorway on the deserted streets of Soho during lockdown. On its cardboard walls were written various tales; friends who died in the Hillsborough disaster, soldiers returning from war in Afghanistan, the love of a mother lost to cancer, life on London streets. The house was neatly furnished with a table, cupboard, drawers, some clothes on coat hangers and a bed.
Mieko recorded an interview with its maker, John Daniels, and created the track ‘John’s House’ incorporating the interview. She was moved by creative power and asked three other artists from England, Germany and Poland to write songs about its ability to lift the spirit even in desperate circumstances and created Write To Be.
The EP features the Mieko Shimizu produced ‘Where Do you Go’ by William D Drake, formally of The Cardiacs, ‘Without’ from Monica label artist in Berlin; Barbara Morgenstern and Inner’ by Accidental Records artist Ola Szmidt .
Write To Be was released on 26 January 2023 on Street Furniture Records, in support of St. Mungo’s Homeless charity.
