In 2023, artist Colin James Woods gifted to the Audio Foundation some thirty passive bookshelf speakers previously used in his own artworks – Sonys, Awia, Sharps, Pioneers, Phillips of various sizes, qualities and cosmetic states. At the same time, a stack of hardwood tongue-and-groove wall boards were also donated. From these parts was summoned the Frankensystem – a bespoke 16-channel sound system – for which a programme of new ambisonic compositions by Fred Small, Jessica Robinson, Vlatko Georgiev and Lily and Peter Worall has been commissioned.

“Ambisonic” describes a sound stage composed of a number of loudspeakers around which composers can move sounds in a 360 degree space which emulates how the sonic world is naturally encountered. For some of these artists, composing for multichannel systems of this sort is a familiar proposition. For others, the Frankensystem presents access to the three axes – left/right, forward/back, up/down – usually the provision of those working within well resourced contexts such as academia.

In a poetic sense, the Frankensystem’s sum-of-its-parts sonic quality reflects the collaborative nature of its making. The limitations of a single speaker are supplemented by the community of others which comprise the system as a whole and reflect how the realisation of this project has been supported by: the donation of materials, lending of tools, and contributions of time and expertise. A less macabre monster whose embrace we can comfortably inhabit.

Commissioned works:
~ Fred Small, The other side (sound, 13’ 56’’)
In the text The Poetics of Listening, Brandon LaBelle describes “sound as an energetic figuring of worldly matters which is never quite graspable, reliable, or fixed…”.

Departing from theorists such as LaBelle, Eleni Ikoniadou, and Seth Kim-Cohen, Fred Small’s new composition, The other side, examines the production of sound and its connections to foster a more poetic understanding of the worlds we inhabit. The piece is made from an array of digitally produced sounds which maintain an air of surreality appearing to mimic the lived sounds they reference. Drawing from these experiences, Small reiterates the inherently shared nature of sound by playing back on a large sound system; the sounds pervade all animate and inanimate things.

We find sound understood as both vehicle and destination – looped sounds on a dance floor entice the mind and propel us forward, emotionally and temporally. We can hear birds, water, and sirens calling, rhythms which build and then slip. We can hear a parallel space.

~ Jessica Robinson, in a breath (sound, 12’17’’)
Jessica Robinson’s new work, in a breath, is a meditation on the way sounds breathe. The length of sounds in recordings of accordion, cello, voice and digital code preserve their physicality beyond their original sounding.

Visitors are invited to move through the room to explore how the voices interact and shift over time.

~ Lily Worrall, Stable Illusions (sound 10’ 00’’)
Cities are palimpsestic, regenerating and collaging the landscape repeatedly. These urban landscapes bear the lingering jitters of half attempted ideas, the highs and lows of capital investment. In downtown Tāmaki, mirrored glass comes to replace Victorian, Edwardian, turn of the century remnants of the ‘central business district’.

Working with samples from documentaries, short films and television programs of the 1980s, Lily Worrall’s piece, Stable Illusions, draws on the building and rebuilding of Tāmaki in a turbulent decade for Aotearoa. Using sounds from documented and fictionalised accounts of this phenomenon, Worrall constructs a temporal snapshot of this unending process. A chorus of voices from fictional characters, poets, property investors, architects and their critics, sit alongside TV jingles, soundtracks and the music of Lily’s father, Peter Worrall.

In concert, we experience a fever dream of 1980s speculation.

~ Vlatko Georgiev, Voices Luminous (sound, 9’ 35’’)
Voices Luminous is inspired by the enchanting power of human voices. Assorted sounds and voice libraries have contributed to and inspired the creative process. The intricacies and idiosyncrasy of the material are distilled into dramatic architectonics, with the narrative of the composition depicting the uniqueness of individuality, interactivity, spirituality, and multiculturalism of humanity.

Opens: Thursday 13 June, 5.30pm, with refreshments by Liberty Breweries
Hours: The Frankensonics programme runs for 60min and will begin at the top of the hour at 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm, Tuesday – Saturday
Closes: Saturday 6 July

Concentrated listening events:
Join us for a series of micro concerts where the Frankensonics programme will be presented in a close listening environment. The capacity for these events is limited to 6 persons per session. Bookings come with a complimentary glass of Decibel wine or cup of hot tea.

Thursday 4 July
Session 1: doors 5.30pm, music 6pm sharp – tickets from www.undertheradar.co.nz
Session 2: doors 7.30pm, music 8pm sharp – tickets from www.undertheradar.co.nz
More information here

Friday 5 July
Session 1: doors 5.30pm, music 6pm sharp – tickets from www.undertheradar.co.nz
Session 2: doors 7.30pm, music 8pm sharp – tickets from www.undertheradar.co.nz
More information here

No door sales
Capacity 6 persons per session

Artist bios:
Fred Small is an artist from Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington who works primarily in sound and video installation. Prior to moving to Denmark in May he was working at CIRCUIT Artist Moving Image, was a facilitator at play_station Artist Run Space, and worked as a support worker. In 2022 he graduated from Massey University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts with First Class Honours. He releases music and DJ’s under the moniker raptAGOG.
http://instagram.com/fredsmalll/

Jessica Robinson a sound artist, composer, performer and acoustics engineer from Tāmaki Makaurau. Her practice includes algorithmic composition, free improvisation, and digital musical instrument design. She is interested in using sound to explore connections to place, and investigating relationships between performers, instruments, and spaces.
https://jessicarobnson.bandcamp.com/

Lily Worrall is an artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, whose practice explores cinema, the family archive, digital/found materials and feminist film theory. Past work include film essays and video art, presented in both cinematic and site-specific installations. Her most recent solo-exhibition, she feeds the birds, was presented at RM gallery in July, 2023.
https://www.lilyworrall.com

Vlatko Georgiev
Vlatko Georgiev is a composer, music producer, sound artist, performer, and educator based in New Zealand, with his musical origins rooted in Macedonia. His portfolio encompasses diverse genres and formats, including music for radio and television commercials, sound design for computer games, documentaries, theatre productions, featured films, and children’s ballets. A special part of his creative work is dedicated to experimental electronic music. His acousmatic compositions have been presented in Japan, Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, Macedonia, and The Netherlands where they have received a number of awards.
https://www.vlatkogeorgiev.com

Acknowledgments:
AF would like to extend thanks to Colin James Woods for his initial donation, Oleg Polounine for material assistance, Ivan Mršić for the lending of tools, Jessica Robinson for her technical expertise, and the artists who’ve developed or adapted work for this unique array, accepting that in some situations, perfect fidelity isn’t the point.