Interview with Will Axten - Weird Science live event

Weird Science is a live event this coming Saturday night in Freo that you simply won’t want to miss. Book yourself a ticket or seven right now. Or beg, borrow or steal one if you are already too late.

‘Weird Science’ Will be hosted in the Signals Sound Laboratory in Fremantle’s iconic Old Custom’s House on this Saturday 20 July. It’s a unique event that provides the opportunity to see and hear some of Perth’s favourite local musicians as they deliver bespoke performances that respond to the laboratory environment, incorporating the wide array of heritage musical instruments and scientific test equipment held in the Lab.

Special guest performers are electronic musician and composer Felicity Groom (drummer and producer), Malcolm Clark (The Sleepy Jackson) and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter David Lawrence (Mister and Sunbird). They will be joined by in-house lab technicians Gaëtan Schurrer and Will Axten, with live video projections by experimental visual artist Nathan Thompson.

Will Axten

The Signals Sound Lab is an important feature of the main Artsource building. Set in a large internal space, the Lab is an interactive audiovisual experience powered by a vast array of interconnected music, sound, science and video technology.

The audience can get ‘hands on’ with the equipment before and after the performance at specially constructed workstations in the Lab, providing opportunities to construct and contort audio and video. Or they can simply relax, enjoy, and take it all in.

Anyone in attendance on the night, interested in the variety of ongoing opportunities to work creatively in the Lab, are encouraged to contact Artsource or Signals Sound Lab for more information.

Signals is an interactive audiovisual laboratory for all ages. The Lab showcases a vast array of music synthesisers, broadcast technology, and computing and laboratory test equipment, all interconnected in unique and fascinating ways.

Signals Sound Lab has grown rapidly in the last two years, obtaining new equipment and forging new collaborations with Australian visual artists and musicians. The Lab has a working relationship with the iconic Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio and has welcomed international guests such as the amazing English comedian and musician Bill Bailey.

Signals revels in the history and nostalgia of modern technology, and the growth of analogue synthesisers from ‘the cold war to the dance floor’! It offers something for everyone, including: hands on interactivity, education, nostalgia, pop culture references, many forms of musical and electronic exploration, and cutting- edge equipment from today and yesteryear.

Old Customs House, built in 1908, is located on the corner of Cliff Street and Phillimore Street in the heritage-listed West End of Fremantle. Its two-story elegant well-preserved interior of pressed tin ceilings and decorative archways features a magnificent, glassed atrium which provides a light, spacious gallery set amongst 24 working artists’ studios.

Established in 1986, Artsource is one of the longest running art membership organisations in the State, providing services and support for artist members to assist them to improve their public profile, creative development, and income earning capacity. It aims to enhance the economic value and success of West Australian visual artists locally, nationally, and internationally.

Details for Wierd Science

Tickets for Wierd Science are available through Eventbrite.

Ticket Price: $20+bf, or $15+bf for Artsource members.

Time & Date: 7-11pm, Saturday 20 July 2024

Venue: Old Custom’s House, 8 Phillimore St Fremantle

Our Editor, Michael Barker, was very pleased to catch up with Will Axten from Signals Sound Lab to make the podcast below where we discuss Weird Science, how Signals Sound Laboratory came to be, and what the Sound Lab is all about. Will also lets us hear some of the crazy electronic sounds the Sound Lab can create.

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