Fuaim Na Háite: How Architectural, Acoustic, and Social Conditions Shape the Traditional Irish Music Seisiún in London Part 2 Dissertation 2026 Cara Russell The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL | UK In this dissertation I investigate the traditional Irish music seisiún as a socio-spatial, sonic practice within the cultural and architectural context of the city of London. Through an embodied ethnographic methodology: listening, photography, automatic writing, recording, and reflective drawing, I examine how the seisiún takes form through the expectations, actions, and spatial negotiations of musicians and active listeners. I view the seisiún as a cultural spatial practice shaped by relationships and the diasporic experiences of the Irish community.My research shows that pub environments, informal systems of communication, and venue specific cultural framing significantly influence how the seisiún unfolds, is organised and understood. I reveal how patterns of proximity and circulation central to the coherence in this mode of musicking can unsettle typical performer–audience distinctions. I demonstrate throughout the fieldwork how communication through gesture and posture along with the material qualities of the interior contribute to the intimacy and social cohesion of the seisiún.Through reflective drawing, I revisit the seisiún to articulate the spatial and affective qualities to exceed what can be captured through sound recording alone. I portray the seisiún within the broader diasporic patterns of continuity and belonging in London. I argue that the traditional seisiún emerges when social, sonic, and architectural conditions align, revealing how a cultural space is both produced and sustained through this practice. Tutor(s) Emma-Kate Matthews