A collaborative sound art, video, live performance & sculptural event from
sound artists and performers, Vicki Hallett, Jem Savage and Zela Papageorgiou.

Can we imagine a world without sound? In ELEMENT5, sound is framed as earth’s elusive fifth element. Multidisciplinary musicians Vicki Hallett and Jem Savage create a compelling and interactive audiovisual installation inspired by air, fire, water and earth - including live instrumental performances by expert percussionist Zela Papageorgiou and the creators.

Sound artists and multi-instrumentalists Vicki Hallett and Jem Savage premiere their new work ELEMENT5 with expert percussionist Zela Papageorgiou

ELEMENT5 draws inspiration from the earth’s four elements (air-fire-water-earth). In contemplating these elements, a question precipitates: can we imagine a world without sound?

Hallett and Savage will create an interactive audio installation and generative video installation which will be supplemented by live performance of newly composed work for two woodwinds and percussion. Through analysis, sonic interrogation and composition, sound emerges as the elusive fifth element in the world of ELEMENT5; engaging qualities both psychoacoustic and timbral, and connecting nodes both emotional and experiential.

Hydrophones, contact microphones and binaural microphone arrays are used to capture site-specific sound worlds (dense forest, mountain peak, wind farm, electrical substation, bonfire, underwater harbour, dripping stalactites). In development, these worlds are processed to reveal their unheard spectra and analysed to create resonances and linkages with composed musical elements.

The live performance will see the space activated with multichannel audio (including live looping/processing of the acoustic instrumentation) and projections mapped onto multiple surfaces. This will create a compelling performance space in which the audience immerses themselves in the audiovisual landscape of ELEMENT5.

Running as part of the Surround Sounds Festival Program, ELEMENT5 will be showing Sunday 8 May 2022, at 4PM AEST and again at 7PM AEST