The Substation/​ MESS/​ Sonorous VIII/

PRESENTED BY THE SUBSTATION AND MESS

Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) returns to The Substation with the eighth iteration of their Sonorous multi-channel commissions.

Every year, MESS invites extraordinary artists to engage with the MESS collection to explore new sonic worlds and push their work in new directions, creating new works for an octophonic electro-acoustic format. For Sonorous VIII, MESS and The Substation present new works by Monica Lim and Naretha Williams. Join us for an evening of beautiful sonic manifestations from these incredible artists.


MONICA LIM

Monica Lim is a Malaysian-born Australian sound artist whose work spans installations, performance art, contemporary dance and screen. She is interested in new cross-disciplinary genres and forms as well as combinations of new technology with music. Her work has been presented at Arts House, Science Gallery Melbourne, White Night, Liquid Architecture, Melbourne Fringe, Arts Centre Melbourne, AsiaTopa, Sydney Dance Company and WorldPride as well as international symposiums such as ISEA and NIME.

Monica is currently undertaking postgraduate research at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne in movement-led composition and new technologies. She is part of the research team at VCA Dance's TrakLAB and the University of Melbourne's Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Ethics. Monica is a 2023 Artist-in residence at the Grainger Museum where she is working with students from the Faculty of Music, School of Computing and Faculty of Dance to explore AI in the Creative Arts. She is also deeply interested in new and hybrid instrument-making has created accessible web-based musical instruments and acoustic-electronic instruments such as the Electromagnetic Piano.


NARETHA WILLIAMS


Naretha Williams produces deep, layered electronic music utilising synths, vocals, percussion and atmospheric sound beds to create high voltage, visceral sounds. A First Nations Wiradjuri woman of mixed lineage, born and based in Birrarung-ga/Naarm Melbourne on the Sovereign Lands of Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, Victoria AUS. Naretha works across contemporary music, composition and sound design with a professional creative career spanning 20 years.

Following the success of a major music commission in 2019 entitled BLAK MASS for the Melbourne Town Hall Grand Organ, Naretha has continued to evolve to find a firm footing in Australia’s musical landscape. Naretha is the 2019 winner of the Music Victoria Award for Best Experimental or Avant-garde Act, and released BLAK MASS on Heavy Machinery Records in 2020. She is also featured on Cling Clang: Compositions for Computer-Controlled Bells and Australian Electronics on the same label in 2017. In 2021 Naretha was Artist in Residence at MESS – Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio and performed live for MESS at the Bowl. She is the Co-Founder and Director of record label Groundstar Music, launching in 2023 with her new album Into Dusk We Fall. Naretha has played major stages such as the Sydney Myer Music Bowl and the Melbourne Town Hall, as well as intimate shows at experimental institution Make It Up Club, studio sets at MESS and curated art programs for Yirramboi and SWELL.

ACCESS

This event contains sudden and sustained loud noises and will be presented in low lighting.

Filming and photography will take place during performances and personal photography/videography is not permitted.

The seating provided for this performance will be bean bags on the floor. There will be some standard seats provided.

The event is wheelchair accessible and gender neutral accessible toilets are available.