Sonic Publics
Investigating how engagement with sound shapes our experience of public space.
About us
Sound-based contemporary art occupies diverse public spaces—from museums and galleries to building lobbies and urban environments—extending artistic practice beyond visual modes. Audio installations reconfigure relationships between public and private space, reshaping how audiences experience both art and architecture.
As sound practices expand into these diverse public settings, important questions emerge about how they shape audience engagement and urban experience.
Drawing on practices from the Asia-Pacific region, Sonic Publics investigates how engagement with sound shapes our experience of public space. The research explores the possibilities that emerge when audio practices foster meaningful connections between artwork, space, and audience.
Our projects
From Noise to Signal
Australian Research Council Discovery Project (DP260100529) to investigate how sound works are installed within art exhibitions in the increasingly noisy art museum and gallery sector.
It combines cross-cultural curatorial research with visitor experience testing using emerging technologies for non-intrusive surveying to better understand the significance of sound on the visitor experience.
Expected outcomes include strategies to transform institutional paradigms concerning sound, improved experiences for the public within art institutions and potential benefits for the future development of analogous public spaces. The project will contribute tangible cultural benefits for Australian cultural sector by providing actionable recommendations to enhance exhibition environments.
Our people
Header image: Anthea Caddy, Long Throw X HetHEM, 2022. 2 x Parabolic Speakers. Sonic Acts Biennial, Netherlands. Supplied courtesy of the artist.
Acknowledgement of Country
UNSW School of Art & Design stands on an important place of learning and exchange first occupied by the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples.
We acknowledge the Bidjigal and Gadigal peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the land that our students and staff share, create and operate on. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend this respect to all First Nations peoples across Australia. Sovereignty has never been ceded.
