Artists: Aviva Endean with Justin Marshall
Presented with Melbourne Fringe
Sonic Labyrinth is an experimental audio installation emerging out of a love for seeing people of all ages discover a playful curiosity with sound. The mysterious objects that fill the room are not conventional musical instruments: they require the creativity of the audience to discover how to make them sing.
Put on some headphones and hear sounds on the edge of perception…vibrations heard through bone conduction, gurgles of underwater pressure systems, or wind currents piped directly into your ears. Crawl inside a giant spring drum and be immersed in intergalactic bass frequencies. Make your way through the sonic web (with or without making a sound!) and hear your voice reflected in the infinity box of mirrors.
Aviva Endean and Justin Marshall are sound artists interested in connecting people with each other and their environment through attentive listening. Their performances often explore expanding the audience experience of sound by creating unusual, site-specific, and participatory contexts for sound-making.
Sonic Labyrinth was co-created with children through Art Play's New Ideas Lab in 2018 and was presented in 2019 at ArtPlay for the Melbourne Fringe Festival and Castlemaine State Festival. In the original performance version, small groups traversed a seemingly endless maze of black curtained corridors. It was an otherworldly space where each turn uncovered new interactive instruments and was occupied by labyrinth keepers who guided the play. The work returns to the ArtPlay Gallery as a smaller drop-in space open to children and their families, so now it's up to you to go on your own journey into sound…
Upcoming dates and times:
The exhibition runs Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm, except for the below days:
Closure times:
- Saturday 28 February
- Saturday 7 to Sunday 8 March
- Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 April
- Thursday 14 May
- Saturday 30 to Sunday 31 May
- Friday 5 to Sunday 7 June
- Thursday 11 to Friday 12 June
Please note:
- If we are at capacity, you may need to wait.
- We are unable to accommodate facilitated/school holiday groups in this event.
- The event space will be dimly lit.
Age
For ages 5 to 13 years and their adults.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Accessibility
There is step-free access, and the room is on the ground floor. There won't be a quiet space available on the day. There is an accessible bathroom, with a baby change.
If you have any questions about accessibility or want to share anything about your access needs beforehand, please email artplay@melbourne.vic.gov.au or call 03 9658 7880.
What to expect
- Getting to ArtPlay: Train - Flinders Street Station. Tram - 35, 70, 75 to stop #5 (Swanston St/Flinders St) or stop #6 (Russell St/Flinders St) or any Swanston Street tram to stop #13 (Federation Square). Car parking - Wilson Parking External link is the closest.
- Arriving: The front doors will open at 10am. A staff member with a lanyard will be in the foyer to greet you. They will explain information specific to the exhibition, before showing you into the space.
