19 April 15:00-16:00, 2 Fl. Bangkok Kunsthalle
Unleash the boldest and most aggressive of sounds, led by the Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (BEAST).
Diffusion: Sippapas Thienwiwat
(2026) – Scirk (Scott Wilson & Dirk Johan Stromberg) - 20m, live electronics duo on TEAMSmulch 26.2
Scirk re-emerges, uneasily sliding out of that vague apprehension lurking behind the blown speakers.
The duo feeds on itself – a cannibalistic Auralboros made of signal and skin. Problems and solutions consume each other, reshaping, folding and devouring inward.
The music stays unknowable; unlistened. Unplayable. our poetry mute...
(2019) – Joo Won Park - 5m49s, monaural fixed medium
Func Step Mode is a solo piece featuring two instruments I love: a no-input mixer and a drum machine. The output of the drum machine feeds into the no-input mixer affecting the rhythm and timbre of already-rich sound palette. The no-input (or rather, one-input) mixer thus becomes an analog audio processor with too many knobs to control, which makes every improvisation thrilling and daunting for me. The hardware and their setup for Func Step Mode are attenable and replicable, but I think I play these instruments with a distinct voice.
(2026) – Dhorn Tartan Taksinwarajan - 12m, fixed medium
The [Unlimited] Human Condition (stylized The [Unlimited] Human Condition) draws on the philosophical notion of the “human
condition”—the set of experiences that define human existence, including birth,
learning, emotion, aspiration, reason, morality, conflict, and ultimately death. The work is
inspired in part by the novel The Human Condition by Junpei Gomikawa and its film
adaptation by Masaki Kobayashi, both of which confront the ethical and psychological
limits of humanity under extreme circumstances.
This piece reflects on the boundaries—both imposed and inherent—within human experience. Through sound, it considers how perception, attention, and cognition shape and constrain our understanding of the world.
To what extent are human capacities defined by limitation, and how might those limits be stretched and perceived through listening?
Commissioned for TagTEAMS 2026
(2026) – Prin Varojtecha - 04m04s, stereophonic fixed medium
This fixed media piece is an experimental attempt to consolidate a range of sonic materials that have recently captured my interest into a unified beat-driven structure. The work draws from disparate sources: “trash” drum textures reminiscent of 1990s hip-hop, heavily distorted synthesizers, deliberately artificial- sounding MIDI strings, touches of granular processing, and selected percussion samples.
These elements, by nature, exist in contrasting aesthetic spaces. Rather than resolving these differences, the piece embraces their coexistence. The compositional focus lies in spatial organization, directional flow, and frequency allocation, allowing the materials to occupy the same sonic environment without excessive masking—despite their inherent material conflicts.
The resulting texture produces a hybrid sound world that feels both fragmented and cohesive. Notably, the peak section adopts a structural approach loosely informed by contemporary classical practices, introducing a sense of formal escalation within an otherwise beat-oriented context.
As a final gesture, the piece incorporates a brief sampled anime female vocal at the ending. This functions as an intentional, extreme contrast—an almost disruptive element that nonetheless aligns with the work’s broader exploration of stylistic collision and boundary dissolution.
Commissioned for TagTEAMS 2026
(2021) – Bret Battey - 8m40s, stereophonic videomusic
“Estuaries 4” is the fourth and final part of the author’s “Estuaries” audio-visual series, which can be viewed as a series of standalone works or ultimately as one large, multi-movement work. “Estuaries 4” explores contrasts between intense and frenetic textures and a gentler poetics, with the latter expressed in part through visualisation of the mathematical Rosenbrock function. The “Estuaries” series involves visualizing Nelder-Mead optimization, a process used by mathematicians to find solutions to complex, multi-variable problems that cannot be addressed by solving equations. We see the results of many such routines searching for the brightest points in a source image or maxima/minima of a function. The music was created with the author’s Nodewebba software, which interlinks pattern generators to create complex emergent behaviours.
“Estuaries 4” was awarded Best Video in the MuVi6 Visual Music Award 2022 (Granada, Spain), Best Regional Music (Europe) Award 2022 from the International Computer Music Association, and the Award of Distinction: Video Music from Prix CIME 2023.
(2020) – Cullyn Murphy - 2m, stereophonic videomusic
Created during the lockdown, "rerendered flipbook" was commissioned by line upon line for their Quartets for the End of Time series of miniatures to be performed in isolation. The piece utilizes stop-motion video techniques to create chaotic movement with impossibly precise execution while maintaining a consistently cohesive sonic backdrop.
Scirk is a hybrid instrument consisting of two humans, a third generation bespoke electronic interface, some synthesis algorithms, a bit of unreliable machine listening, some dodgy code, a lack of planning and a plausible amount of goodwill.
For the past three decades Scott Wilson’s music and sound art has explored the intersection of a variety of different and sometimes contradictory practices. Combining aspects of instrumental/vocal composition, field recording, immersive multichannel electroacoustic sound and visuals, cross-cultural collaboration, live coding and improvisation in works that are each a bespoke solution to a unique artistic problem, his output holds few firm allegiances to schools, styles or genres, and regularly transgresses the boundaries of the ‘acceptable’ to be found in even the most supposedly experimental fields of artistic practice. A particular interest in collaboration has led to a rich range of output, including cross-cultural and interdisciplinary works. These and other pieces including hyperreal soundscapes using sound from the natural world, a collaborative musical palimpsest on classic Qawwali recordings, and music created by sonifying the particle collisions of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider have been presented around the world. Also active as an educator and mentor for young artists, he is the co-director of Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre (BEAST) and teaches at the University of Birmingham in the U.K.
Dirk Stromberg is a multidisciplinary artist integrating free improvisation, instrument-making, and live production. His work spans Asia, Europe, North America, and Australia, showcasing a commitment to innovation and exploration.
Initially a jazz and blues guitarist, Stromberg’s journey led to free improvisation, inspired by figures like Evan Parker and Derek Bailey. His practice bridges improvisation, production, and instrument design, with creations such as the Fryprone embodying adaptability and innovation.
As a live production specialist, Stromberg crafts immersive performances using telematic systems, ambisonics, and d&b Soundscape, balancing technical precision with spontaneity.
Notable projects include Images of Ascension, Telepaesants, and the Intensity series. His recordings, such as Borderless Field and Primitive Touch, reflect his collaborative spirit.
Stromberg has presented at NIME and IEEE and performed at festivals like SIFA and KLEX. A Senior Lecturer at LASALLE College of the Arts in Singapore, he mentors students in production and performance, drawing on his diverse expertise.
Joo Won Park makes music with electronics, toys, and other sources that he can record or synthesize. He is the recipient of the Knight Arts Challenge Detroit (2019) and the Kresge Arts Fellowship (2020). His music and writings are available on ICMC DVD, Spectrum Press, MIT Press, PARMA, Visceral Media, MCSD, SEAMUS, and No Remixes labels. He is an associate professor of Music Technology at Wayne State University.
Dhorn is a Thai pianist and improviser. Beginning his musical journey on the piano at a young age, he has since then continuousl grown fond of music making, sound recording - soundscaping, and improvisation. His works are often a combined effort of various disciplines such as visual art, moving images, music, and poetry in live performances.
He recently co-curated and performed "Bangkok-Bangkrob" (Bangkok Through Crusty Frames), a multi-media music performance hosted by Bangkok Art and Cultural Center (BACC) 10th Performative Art Project as a half of a duo under the name Pink Sky Orcas. Interested in exploring and communicating the current events in the city of Bangkok.
He studied in Princess Galyani Vadhana Institute of Music and University of Birmingham where he had received most hands-on experiences in electroacoustic music composition and audio-visuals works. He currently freelances as a composer and lecturer at various schools and universities in Bangkok, Thailand.
Prin Varotecha is a Thai composer whose work explores the fragile line between control and chaos. He blends acoustic instruments with electronic textures-ranging from rough noise to abstract gestures-to create sonic spaces that feel unstable, expressive, and alive. His sound world draws from modern life: internet culture, digital overload, and emotional volatility, shaped into stories that are both personal and unflinching. He was awarded the Grand Prize at the Young Thai Artist Award, First Prize from the Siam Sinfonietta Young Composers Competition and an award from the International Double Reed Society. His music has been performed by the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, the MIVOS Quartet, Triphen Ensemble, and Tacet (i) Ensemble.
Bret Battey (b. 1967) is Professor of Audiovisual Composition with the Music, Technology, and Innovation Research Group at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK. He creates electronic, acoustic, and audiovisual concert works and installations, with a focus on generative techniques. He has been a Fulbright Fellow to India and a MacDowell Colony Fellow, and he has received recognitions and prizes from Austria's Prix Ars Electronica, France's Bourges Concours International de Musique Electroacoustique, Spain's Punto y Raya Festival, MADATAC and MuVi, Abstracta Cinema of Rome, Amsterdam Film eXperience, the Texas Fresh Minds Festival, the International Computer Music Festival, Prix CIME, and the Red Stick International Animation Festival for his sound and image compositions. He pursues research in areas related to algorithmic music and image and sound relationships. He completed his masters and doctoral studies in Music Composition at the University of Washington and his Bachelors of Music in Electronic and Computer Music at Oberlin Conservatory. His primary composition and technology teachers have been Conrad Cummings, Richard Karpen, and Gary Nelson. He also served as a Research Associate for the University of Washington's Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media.
Composer, conductor, and reluctant vocalist, Cullyn D. Murphy (he/him) focuses on amplifying the already existent musical components of sight, taste, touch, and smell in order to gain access to different modes of storytelling through music. His work revisits his rock band roots in communal music-making by creating music that engages with different varieties of performer input through unconventional notation and co-composition. Cullyn's music has been described as “theatrical," "riveting and inventive,” and "push[ing] the idea of what music and musical organization is." (Composer's Toolbox) Recently, Cullyn’s work has focused on creating extramusical objects to accompany his compositions, such as a retro video game program note, an AI-produced radio broadcast, an Instagram Augmented Reality Filter, and performer-created postcards.
Cullyn is currently an Assistant Professor of Music and Media Studies at Beloit College, where he leads students to discover and engage with music through creative projects, collaboration, and performance. He teaches music theory, composition/songwriting, genre, and film music. He also directs MULTI–a multidisciplinary ensemble where students of any creative practice create and perform new pieces and installations to be presented as an ensemble.
BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre) is the concert sound system of the University of Birmingham’s Electroacoustic Music Studios.
Founded in 1982 by Jonty Harrison, since 2014 BEAST has been under the direction of Scott Wilson, with Annie Mahtani as co-director from 2020, and Simon Smith as technical director. Over the decades since its launch BEAST has become established as one of the leading systems for the presentation of electronic music in the world, and as an ongoing catalyst for creation and innovation in the field. BEAST is particularly recognised for its key role in championing the development of acousmatic music – music composed especially for loudspeakers – and live ‘diffusion’, a practice aimed at creating immersive sonic experiences in concert. While continuing to advance creative work in these areas, BEAST is also a platform for a wide variety of sound-based art in various styles and genres, including live electronic music, pieces combining instruments and electronic sound, soundscape composition/phonography, and sound installations.
BEAST has performed extensively in the UK and other parts of Europe, including at London’s South Bank Centre, the Edinburgh and Huddersfield Festivals, the Henry Wood Hall in Glasgow, MultiMediale II in Karlsruhe, The Royal Dutch Conservatory in The Hague, The Acousmatic Experience in Amsterdam, the Aspekte Festival in Salzburg, the Inventionen Festival in Berlin, the Echt-Zeit Festival in Basel, Aix en Musique in Aix en Provence, and the Sound Around Festival in Copenhagen. Closer to home BEAST’s activities have included regular contributions in The Series at the CBSO Centre as part of our collaboration with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. In 2012 BEAST began holding concerts in its new home, the bespoke designed Elgar Concert Hall at the Bramall Music Building, arguably one of the best venues of its size for the presentation of electronic music in UK and elsewhere.
One of the largest systems of its type in the world, BEAST can mount setups of as many as 100 loudspeakers distributed around the concert space. This approach goes far beyond the capabilities of commodity and cinema ‘surround sound’ systems, allowing artists to create vivid and unique sound worlds, which immerse the listener in a new and engaging sonic experience.