VoxAEther is currently showing at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane. The work consists of four laser cut sculptural forms based upon the morphology and symmetry of microscopic Radiolaria, countless billions of which live in our oceans. At their nucleus each work contains Theremin electronics activated by the radial antennae that encircle the objects.
Messing about in boats and Padme at MacQuarie University 2010.
Padme is a solar powered digital audio floating sculpture that is activated by wave motion and by water birds nudging the antennae-like motion sensing ‘whiskers’ that radiate from the work.
Padme (Nelumbo nucifera), the sacred lotus, is an aquatic plant that plays a central role in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
Views of the Padme Installation
The lotus is an ancient...
I’m a Nomad not a Drifter, being Adrift is of course a different kettle of fish, as it implies an active surrender to the vagaries of the elements, be they maritime or psychological ~ I usually go for both!
The Adrift project was conceived and realised for the Memory Flows exhibition at the CarriageWorks in Sydney and comprised of two sounding vessels. My trusty sea kayak “Siika” pressed into sonic-service, equipped with a “Solid-Drive” transducer that transformed the...
M.A.R.I.N. will make a debut at ISEA2009 Belfast in August 2009. This first expedition, the “Irish Sea EcoLocated Residency”, will focus on Littoral cultures: how marine ecologies close to human settlements are perceived by scientists and local communities, and how our art & science research team will introduce new cultural strategies to interlace them.
The MARIN vessel in Belfast harbour.
This first collaborative residency aboard the MARIN craft, entitled...
Zephyr ~ an Æolian Harp kinetic Sculpture for the Geraldton foreshore.
Methinks, it should have been impossible
Not to love all things in a World like this,
Where e’en the Breezes of the simple Air
Possess the power and Spirit of Melody!
Coleridge, The Æolian Harp.
This project has been a long time coming, being delayed by changes in the site soon after the commission was awarded. Here are some contemporary images of the project as re-defined, followed by the...
The rational and the fantastical: the morphology of Nigel Helyer, by Gail Priest 2008
Despite Star Trek’s propagandist efforts for space as the final frontier, the vast unknown can be found much closer to home in the form of the earth’s oceans. Occupying approximately 79% of the planet it is estimated that only 5% of the watery depths have yet been explored. With the threat of impending environmental disaster the drive to better understand the global ocean has...
During 2008 Nigel held the ABC Radiophonic Fellowship and developed a project entitled GhosTrain that deals with memories (and amnesia) surrounding Sydney’s Eveleigh Railyards.
The first stage of the GhosTrain project created a series of short Radio Broadcasts and a Podcast website focused upon the Redfern Locomotive & Eveliegh Carriage Works. The project addressed the oral histories and acoustic ecologies of Industrial culture. The second stage developed this content...
Interface map
Catalogue Notes: The title is an ironic reference to the motto of submarine captains in WWII who knew that the silence of their craft was the key to remaining undetected. In contrast this artwork is a whole-hearted embrace of the richly sonic world deep within the ocean. The artist will be bringing this auditory world to the surface in an immersive surround-sound experience, which will be located within the gallery.
Prior to the exhibition, the artist...
A new work “Transformer” has been installed at the UnderCliff Vineyard in Wollembi alongside “Spinner” which remains in-situ from last year.
My approach to the sonic domain has always been informed by a Sculptor’s perspective which emphasises the experiential nature of sounds, linking them to the dynamic, material events that produce them and situating them within the environments that contain and propagate them.
“Transformer” would appear to disqualify itself...
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This commission for a new Marine facility at Henderson WA has recently been completed. The work is comprised of three elements, a Video-projection work, a series of interactive biomorphic sculptures and an outdoor kinetic work, consisting of six counter-balanced needles which interact with the wind.
Three years on, the landscaping has matured and the kinetic work is as installed.
View from the lounge of the Marine Centre.
Laser cut...