The Bartlett Research Conversations

Spatiosonic Constructs: Exploring Reciprocities in Architecture and Music

Emma-Kate Matthews

Supervisors: Professor Bob Sheil and Professor Yeoryia Manolopoulou

Emma-Kate’s research concerns the discovery and exploitation of creative reciprocities between music as constructed sound, and architecture as constructed space. 

Historically, architectural space has played an active role in influencing the experience and composition of music. Conversely, architects have long acknowledged the desires of music in space. Despite this rich history, a disconnect exists between the practices of designing spaces for music and composing site-specific music for live performance.

This research is explored through the composition and choreography of physical, musical performances (Constructions), which are hypothesised, constructed and examined using a range of analytical analogue and digital techniques, from predictive models of acoustic simulation, to interrogating the results of the performances through the analysis of ambisonic recordings, spatio-temporal drawings and audience feedback. With these Constructions, architecture is activated by musical desires. Simultaneously, music is composed and performed as a way of accessing and exploiting acoustic phenomena.

About The Bartlett Research Conversations

The Bartlett School of Architecture’s Research Conversations seminars comprise work-in-progress and upgrade presentations by students undertaking the MPhil/PhD Architectural Design and MPhil/PhD Architectural and Urban History and Theory. All current UCL staff and students are welcome to attend.

Held regularly throughout the academic year, the seminars are attended by the programme directors, Professor Jonathan Hill and Professor Ben Campkin, PhD Coordinators, Dr. Nina Vollenbröker and Dr Sophie Read, and other PhD supervisors.