Since 2005 Simon Whetham has developed a practice of working with sonic activity. He often uses environmental sound, employing a variety of methods and techniques to obtain unnoticed and obscured sonic phenomena. He explores ways of channelling and transforming energy, and how to salvage and repurpose obsolete consumer technology in kinetic sound works.
He performs and exhibits internationally, participating in A4 Residency Art Center (CN), Chiba City Art Triennale (JP), Som Desorganizado (PT), Klangmanifeste (AT), Noise Istanbul (TK), New Adits (AT), Simultan (RO), Sonica Festival (SI), 28.MFRU (SI), phonon~festival (CZ), NEXT Festival (SK), Fresh Winds Biennale (IS), Klub Katarakt Festival (DE), Nakanojo Biennale (JP), ACC showcase (KR), Blurred Edges (DE), Tsonami Festival (CL), Madeiradig (PT) and Moers Festival (DE); has a large number of published works; and regularly collaborates with artists of other disciplines.
Whetham’s practice also covers giving active listening and field recording workshops internationally, with recent sessions incorporating the reuse of obsolete technology. This includes workshops for children and young people, which began in Medellín, Colombia in 2013, and has led to larger projects in Czechia, Norway and Australia. Also he has worked with refugees at GMEA, Albi, France in 2025 and unaccompanied minors in a refugee camp in Munich, Germany, 2014.
While artist-in-residence at Interface Inagh, Ireland, I developed a project idea which will channel the sonic activity of a place through motors and mechanisms in combination with found materials to create ephemeral kinetic interventions and situations. The main idea is that the process and results are documented through audio and video recording, and once this is complete all the materials will be returned to their place and equipment removed so there is no lasting trace or waste left behind.
With this stage complete I will be offering the project as a participatory workshop which will begin with listening exercises, site exploration, field recording and salvaging mechanisms from obsolete and disused technology, reanimating them by playing sound directly through them.
https://www.simonwhetham.co.uk/channellinglocationdevelopment
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