Striking the right ambience is fundamental to the character of Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge. Created in 1957 by former Tate Gallery assistant Jim Ede and his wife Helen, Kettle’s Yard was not just a home for the couple, but an open space for the public to enjoy contemporary art in an informal, domestic setting.
Almost 70 years later, that ethos still exists. So when a spatial audio component was required for an exhibition by Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska, it was important to get the aesthetics exactly right.
Taking inspiration from correspondence between Polish writer Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska and English artist Nina Hamnett in the early 20th century, the Slightly Bitter multimedia installation includes excerpts from these letters in a sound piece, accompanying text on the artworks to create a sense of eavesdropping on the conversations.
Photo: Jo Underhill
Himid and Stawarska commissioned specialist integrator ArtAV to assist in creating an immersive experience for visitors, in a space with no pre-existing audio infrastructure.
“The primary purpose of the audio system was to provide a high-quality, four-channel spatial audio experience to complement the visual artwork,” says ArtAV sound technician Kyle Partridge.
“Having worked with both artists on previous exhibitions, we already had a deep understanding of their specific AV requirements, from system design through to pre-production and installation.
Photo: Jo Underhill
“It allows us to design a bespoke approach for each project and ensure that any design is perfectly tailored to the unique artistic goals of the exhibition.”
The lack of any existing facilities meant that the system had to be designed from scratch, while maintaining the gallery’s minimalist aesthetic and facilitating reinstallation for future exhibitions.
In addition, reflections from the gallery’s hard, untreated walls required considerable acoustic control. The artists also needed to be able to adjust the audio in situ once the system was in place.
Photo: Jo Underhill
Working with Audiologic, ArtAV sourced four custom-coloured Genelec 4420 compact monitors, taking advantage of its PoE connectivity to minimise cable runs and preserve the gallery’s clean lines, as well as the customisable range of 120 RAL colours.
“Kettle’s Yard has a reputation for its carefully curated, minimalist aesthetic, so it was critical for us to avoid any visible cabling which would divert attention from the surrounding artwork,” says Partridge.
“In addition, because the playback system had to be installed in the same room as the artwork, it had to have a small footprint and be extremely quiet so as not to distract from the audio content. The Genelec 4420 Smart IP speakers met these challenges in an extremely compact footprint and were an ideal solution.
Photo: Jo Underhill
“The Genelec’s active circuitry is perfect, as it requires no external amplification or noisy fans. By combining Dante audio and power over a single Cat5 cable, we were able to not only drastically reduce cable runs to simplify installation but ensure that we kept everything very neat and very discreet.
“The 4420’s built-in DSP functions gave us the ability to precisely tune the speakers to the room; this was essential to reduce the unwanted frequencies created by reflections and ensure the audio remained clear and faithful to the artists’ original recordings.”
This capability proved essential when Stawarska needed to make subtle adjustments to the balance and dynamic range of the piece after listening to it in situ in the gallery.
Photo: Jo Underhill
Genelec’s ability to colour-match the monitors delivered a presentation that was just as integrated from a visual perspective, with a custom Zinc Yellow RAL colour used to complement the artwork’s palette.
This aspect of the installation actually played to the exhibition’s strengths, according to the artists. “From my conversations with audiences, I got the feedback that alongside the quality of sound they enjoyed how the yellow of the speakers became a visual part of the installation,” says Stawarska.
As well as the four Genelec speakers, the set-up also comprised a Blackmagic Hyperdeck HD Mini, Blackmagic SDI audio converter, Dante AVIO analogue input converter, Netgear GS316EP network switch, TP-Link AX1502WR and a 7” monitor.
