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Arup offers SoundLab to musicians and artists for creative residency

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Trish Sunga Trish Sunga Australasia Press Office,Sydney
6 July 2021

Arup’s Sydney SoundLab will become an incubator for musicians and sound artists to experiment, design and create while engaging with some of the best designers and acoustic engineers in the world later this year.

The new SoundLab residency program, a partnership between Arup and government arts agency Create NSW, will provide an important opportunity for up to four NSW-based musicians or sound artists. 

They will be able to work in the high-end acoustics lab with an Ambisonic loudspeaker array, and an option to integrate VR technology.

“

Create NSW is proud to partner with Arup for this opportunity, and if you are a musician wanting to take your craft to the next level I encourage you to apply for this unique residency that I am sure will provide a career-boosting moment for the successful musicians. ” Chris Keely Executive Director, Create NSW

An engineer experiencing Arup's SoundLab in Sydney, Australia An engineer experiencing Arup's SoundLab in Sydney, Australia
Our Sydney SoundLab is an acoustic simulation space that enables our clients and engineers to hear existing or conceptual sonic environments

Arup engages in all phases of arts and culture projects from initial feasibility studies, design, construction to initial operations, with a long track record in delivering award-winning arts and culture venues. Our passion for creating buildings of acoustic and visual excellence arises from a fascination with how a space can not only support but inspire artists.

The creative uses of the SoundLab have evolved to include experimental work with artists: it was originally designed to test and communicate acoustic experiences of spaces in design, in a hyper-realistic 3D environment. 

“Björk and her team used the Arup SoundLab to help develop and deliver the final form of her on-stage acoustic reverb chamber for the Cornucopia tour,” said Nick Boulter, Arup’s Australasia Arts and Culture Leader and highly experienced acoustic specialist.

Bjork performing in the reverberation chamber Bjork performing in the reverberation chamber
Björk performing in the Arup designed reverberation chamber at The Shed, New York ©SacksCo
“

Arup believes the arts and culture sector is at the core of a healthy, engaged and positive society. We are really excited to partner with Create NSW and the amazing opportunities for creative interactions between our design and engineering specialists and the artists who will spend time with us. ” Nick Boulter Nick Boulter Arts and Culture Leader, Australasia

Chris Keely, Create NSW Executive Director said: “This unique SoundLab Residency Program will provide an important opportunity for up to four NSW-based musicians or groups of artists to make music and sound in a high-end technical space designed for critical listening, and the exploration of technology and sound.”

The successful artists will receive $2,500 in funding support from Create NSW. Arup’s major in-kind contribution for the use of the SoundLab equates to approximately $7,000 per week for musicians and sound artists.

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Learn more about our SoundLab

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Hearing is believing

Imagine being able to hear at the design stage what a planned railway or wind farm will sound like when complete. This is what our SoundLab enables you to do. We’ve used our SoundLabs to inform the design of some of the world’s best arts and culture venues. We also use it alongside advanced technologies such as visualisation to let clients experience major infrastructure projects during the design process, shaping better design outcomes.