Projects

'Made to Malfunction'

Selected to participate in the Creators in Lab residency with the renowned Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, South Korea. Developed new kinetic sound objects using salvaged technology and arduino programming.​

'Made to Malfunction' is a response to planned obsolescence, presenting parts of discarded machines and devices as valuable art objects.​

'Place is the Space'

Collaboration with Gregory Büttner (DE) funded by Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg, Behörde für Kultur und Medien and supported by Probebühne im Gängeviertel and MOM art space im Gängeviertel to create an installation/intervention/performance at MOM Art Space, Hamburg.

Pulzus Art Camp

'Wind in the Willow' sound installation with modified ear protectors that play the sound of trees through wood. 'Saw Heard' sound installation using circular saw blades that play the sound of sawing.

Copper Leg Residency

'Force Mineure' outdoor installation with piano played by nature, Estonia

Chateau de Sacy Residency

'Translation' collection of 3 site-specific works, Picardie, France

Monsoon (Vol.2)

Collaboration through February and March in collaboration with Korean performer and choreographer Hany.P to develop a new version of her conceptual project 'Monsoon'. Using found materials and sounds in the studio space, we developed a set piece that took the form of an installation that Hany responded to, and in turn responded to her movements and choreography. The project was kindly hosted and supported by MoKS, Mooste, Estonia.

Fresh Winds Biennale 2018

'Geothermal Activity' created for exhibition that uses infrasonic frequencies (vibration felt but not heard) to cause lava rocks to move and make their own sound. Also performed during the opening and closing events in collaboration with Kana Nakamura (JP) and Hany.P (KR).

Tsonami Festival XI

Performances in Teatro Parque Cultural de Valparaíso and an abandoned train carriage at Tornamesa Barón, Valparaíso, Chile, plus exhibition piece 'Traces of Lime' at Galería CasaPlan.

Jeonnam International Ink Art Pre-Biennale

'Traces of Mokpo Harbour' ink drawing created using recorded site-specific sounds using traditional Korean ink and paper.

Nakanojo Biennale

'Everyday Emanations (Dead End)' sound and light installation using scrapped car parts in an abandoned space for 6th edition of international biennale in rural Japan.

Open Arts Project, Busan, South Korea

'Trace of the Storm' and 'What the Earshells hear' sound pieces for exhibition. Collaborations with performers Hany.P and Solene de Cock.

Hidden Dreams, Bad Driburg and Paderborn, Germany

Workshops and performance with schoolchildren and collaborative sound and movement piece with choreographer Birgit Asshoff for Alles Kunst.

Taipei Artist Village, Treasure Hill, Taipei, Taiwan

'This Chamber (is never empty)' site-responsive sound installation and 'Bottled Water' installation.

Pintu Miring Artspace, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

'Connecting the Broken Pieces' terracotta and sound installation for permanent exhibition.

Namwon Sound Project

One of 6 artists invited to respond to the historic and quiet city of Namwon in South Korea.

Everyday sounds are played through everyday discarded objects. Inside each of the 6 collected objects is a lamp which responds to the sound impulse played through each.

'Trace Evidence' for Ropewalkers, OSR Projects, West Coker, UK

One of 3 selected artists to create a site-responsive work for a Victorian twine production works. The piece will now be retained as a permanent fixture at the site, which is undergoing extensive renovation.

Open Arts Project 2016, Art in Nature, Busan, South Korea

'Memory of the Storm' sound installation. Further performance collaboration with Amanda Billberg (SE)

Yatoo International Project 2016, Yatoo Nature Art House, Wongol, South Korea

'Traces of Water/Trace of Life' for 'Cros.sing' group exhibition was a development of an idea of creating and retaining a physical trace of sound, which is normally ephemeral.

Arc Artist Residency, Romainmôtier, Switzerland

'Watering the Piano' installation and 'Active Crossover: Romainmôtier' collaborative performance with Gregory Büttner (DE) and Francisco Meirino (CH)

Fresh Winds Biennale 2016

'Ómur' sound installation in working lighthouse and collaborative performances with Amanda Billberg, Kae Ishimoto and Anaïs Lelievre.

Extended Dimensions

Ongoing collaboration with choreographer Park Jin Young.

Throughout July the pair worked together developing various themes at Soomdo in Seoul. Entitled 'Boundaries of Performance' they used every part of the studio space they could, including the window, outside space, adjacent cafe and even ceiling.

Also the artists spent a week in June developing a piece that comprised material from Active Crossover: Mooste, but also responded to the theatre space given to them by Seoul Art Space Seogyo.

Active Crossover: Mooste

Simon Whetham was selected by MoKS in Mooste, Estonia to direct a new iteration of the project Active Crossover, which took the form of an international collaborative residency project through April and May 2105.

Working closely with John and Evelyn Grzinich, the Directors of MoKS in Mooste, Estonia, he was joined by Tuulikki Bartosik (EE/SE), Richard Eigner (AT), Fernando Godoy (CL), Jim Haynes (US), Park Jin Young (KR), Rostislav Rekuta LV), Yiorgis Sakellariou (GR), Dawn Scarfe (UK), Eamon Sprod (AU), Arlene Tucker (US/TW) and James Wyness (UK).

Together they explored various aspects of artistic investigation and group work.

Simon was awarded the Artists International Development Award, granted by Arts Council England and the British Council, to run the project as part of his own career development.

Cavesong Symphony in a Miner Key

Commission as Sound Recordist/Designer for site-specific performance in Dudley Limestone Caverns commissioned by Georgina Biggs and She-Wolf Productions.

Figures

Sound recording for art/activism project commissioned by Liz Crow and Roaring Girl Productions.

Residency at Galerie Školská 28, Prague, Czech Republic

Artist-in-Residence through January performing alongside local and visiting musicians, giving a workshop in recording and performance to be presented at the end of the month, and working on various compositional pieces, including work to be exhibited in both Galerie Díra and Školská 28.

Artist Residency TEMI, Daejeon, South Korea

From September through November Simon was one of six resident artists at Artist Residence TEMI.

During the three month period he gave workshops in listening, recording, microphone construction and performance at Seoul Art Space Mullae in Seoul, the Children's Museum at The National Museum of Contemporary Art in Gwacheon, Artist Residency TEMI in Daejeon and Arko Artist House in Seoul.

As selected artist to represent TEMI at the Seoul Art Foundation Residency Festival in November, he was invited to both exhibit the work 'Found Sound Materials' created for 'Shrinking World, Nomadic Utopians' in the Citzen's Hall of Seoul City Hall and also to perform a site-specific concert in the Basrak Hall theatre space there.

'A World of Hidden Sounds' – Arts Education project for Punctum Inc., Castlemaine, Australia

Through June and July Simon will be collaborating with Eamon Sprod (aka Tarab) in Castlemaine, Australia, running an arts education project as part of Punctum Inc.'s 'Seedpod Amplified' series of residential projects.

'The Salmagundi' – Sound design for installation for B Arts, Stoke-on-Trent, UK

Commission to create a sonic environment for 'The Salmagundi'. This comprises an installation that represents a half creature/half machine entity that young people climb into to solve a puzzle which will return humans to their 'pure' form in a vision of the near-future.

'Active Crossover: Feldafing' – Residency projects for Villa Waldberta, Feldafing, Germany

Residency supported by Villa Walberta and Signalraum. Collaborations with personally invited artists, workshop sessions and recording workshop in Bayern Kaserne refugee camp in Munich for unaccompanied minors.

'Active Crossover: Kristiansand' – Residency with Agder Kunstsenter, Kristiansand, Norway

Site specific performance project collaborating with local artists and musicians. Also gave recording presentations to school groups and a public recording and microphone building workshop. The project was supported financially by The Cultural Rucksack national arts education organization and in kind by Kunsthall Kristiansand.

'El Mundo de los Sonidos Ocultos' - RED de Artes Visuales project for Casa Tres Patios and La Alcaldía, Medellín, Colombia

Arts education project over 10 weeks, teaching children of 8-18 years active listening, sound exploration and simple microphone and instrument building.

Residency at Villa Waldberta, Feldafing, Germany

Throughout June 2013 Simon was one of the Artists-in-Residence at Villa Waldberta, near Munich in Germany, to create new work and research new presentation and recording methods.

'The Softening of MAO-A' – Sound design for performance project, Bristol, UK

Commissioned by Tom Bailey, a Bristol-based theatre director and artist, to create 3 distinct sound environments for the project. This is a performance that explores a scenario concerning a single gene (MAO-A) within contemporary cultural conceptualisation/commercialisation of genetics. The performance is an installation where the audience is invited into a fictional ‘natural therapy’ clinic where a single gene in their bodies will be transformed through a sonic impulse.

'MUUA Lab/C3P incorporating Active Crossover' – Laboratory project for Casa Tres Patios and La Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia

Simon was the first artist to participate in the MUUA Lab project. A gallery hall of the university museum was provided as a laboratory space for development of new work for 3 months, where the public could visit at any time to view the progress of the project. 2 local artists were invited to collaborate in various recording and performance experiments.

'Active Crossover: Valparaiso' – site specific performance with Tsonami, Valparaíso, Chile

From December 2012 to January 2013 Simon was artist-in-residence with Pia Michelle, in collaboration with Tsonami in Valparaiso, Chile, running the Active Crossover project to explore the sonic characteristics of the local area, giving workshops and collaborating with local artists.

'Russian Tour 2012: Whetham/Perales' – concerts in various cities, Russia

Throughout October 2012 Simon toured Russia with Argentinian musician Fernando Perales, supported by Monochrome Vision and partners, performing in Samara, Volgograd, Yaroslavl, Rostov, St. Petersburgh, Petrozavodsk and Moscow.

'Time Release' – site specific performance for the Municipal Art Museum, Toyota City, Japan

As part of the exhibition 'Carpe Diem' Simon collaborated with Lethe (Kiyoharu Kuwayama) to produce a site specific audio/visual piece which was presented in the museum's auditorium space.

'Active Crossover: Castlemaine' – Residency project for Punctum Inc., Castlemaine, Australia

Participating in the Seedpod Residency at Punctum Inc. through May 2012, Simon worked with local artists Eamon Sprod (Tarab), Lizzie Pogson and Jacques Soddell, exploring sound phenomena at the ICU, Castlemaine and the surrounding area, culminating in a workshop, an installation and a collaborative performance event.

'Active Crossover: Buenos Aires' – Performance for Mamba, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Invitation to curate 'Active Crossover' event with 3 local artists Juan Jose Calarco, Alan Courtis and Alma Laprida for Alianza Francesa, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

'Active Listening and Field Recording Workshop' – for Balmaceda Arte Joven, Valparaíso, Chile

In April 2012 Simon was been invited to run a 3 day Active Listening and Field Recording workshop at Balmaceda Arte Joven and also to perform a solo concert.