Author: Nigel Helyer

  • ISEA2004

    ISEA 2004 Layers of Performance By by Stanislav Roudavski People play with “the algorithmically controlled quadraphonic soundscape and its visual manifestations” in Sonic Spaces, an installation by Shawn Pinchback. Photographs by Stanislav Roudavski. Aboard flight 18.45, London – Helsinki, people scan each other for the happy signs of genius. And no wonder. According to the…

  • Crosstalk kahn

    Architecture does sound Douglas Kahn The cross talk of the title no doubt refers to the way sounds from the different pieces ‘bleed’ (ouch!) into one another when placed in close proximity. Often, in exhibitions involving sound, ‘cross’ could apply to the antagonism of competing sounds, but here there is no anger, no claims staked,…

  • Echigo Tsumari

    Echigo-Tsumari Triennial 2003, Japan The recent Documenta 11 and 50th Venice Biennale exhibitions spawned a plethora of critical articles intensifying debate round the phenomenon of globalism – on the one hand the global rise and rise of large-scale biennale/triennale exhibitions, on the other globalism as both curatorial theme and format of these exhibitions. 

  • mowson

    Education feature: training the sound artist A thrilling sono-cranial re-wire Bruce Mowson Nigel Helyer (see interview), whose sound sculpture Meta-Diva won the 2002 Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award, questioned whether there were any courses in Australia which allowed for the study of sound in proper depth, responded by asking “Is there anywhere that teaches [among…

  • Some approaches to Sound and Listening.

    My practice has a pluralistic approach to the sonic domain and embraces several strands of conceptual and technological development.  These in turn are manifest in a variety of modes, which range from gallery based interactive works, to environmental public sound works to Research and Development programmes in spatially located immersive soundscapes. As an introduction this…

  • Sonic Voyages

    Imagine a child of the ‘jet-age’ living in an unobtrusive coastal village, mid-way between the dwelling of Blake, the artist, poet and visionary and that of his friend, the scientist and astronomer Halley.  The child proceeds with eyes wide open to technics and ears tuned to poetics ……

  • Electrical by Nature

    Theoretical papers often quote Plato’s Cave – such a nice, primitive dawn of consciousness image, with its shadowy representations flickering sootily across the cave’s rear wall and the line of onlookers warming their backs by the fire!  Strangely there is scant mention of the crackle of burning wood, or the sounds of those protagonists prancing…

  • Practice

    Practice

    Dr. Nigel Helyer; is an internationally prominent sculptor and sound artist, whose interdisciplinary practice combines art and science to embrace our social, cultural and physical environments. He brings these concerns together in creative projects that prompt the community to engage with their cultural histories, identity and sense of place, inviting us to examine the abstract…

  • An Unrequited Place

    Year : 1992 Exhibited. As part of the Working in Public project, John Barrett-Lennard and ArtSpace, Sydney, 1992. Materials. Steel Bell, Performer, Radiophonic Broadcast. Dimensions. 25m x 12m overall installation ~ performance space with Nationwide live broadcast at Midnight for 21 days. Nelia Justo tolls the midnight bell. Notes. The Story so far…Catalogue text for…

  • Voyages from Eden to Utopia; Hercules

    Voyages from Eden to Utopia; Hercules

    Year : 1984 EXHIBITED Aspex Gallery, Portsmouth, UK (1984) MATERIALS Section 1. Vessel elements: pit fired/blackened earthenware. Section 2. Pillars:  wood and metal-lath armature with raw clay cladding (air dried). Section 3. Vessel/lamp elements:  copper foil, stoneware; paraffin lights. DIMENSIONS Overall floor Coverage: 14m x 8m (112 m2) Section 1. Max. linear dimension 20cm (x…