Skip to main content
The Sonic Materiality Lab – Bath Spa University

The Sonic Materiality Lab (SoMa) brings together theorists and practitioners to develop and creatively activate new understandings of the materiality of sound in contemporary music and sonic art.

SoMa draws upon a pan-institutional network of philosophers, musicologists and creative practitioners to further understanding of the materiality of sound in contemporary music and sonic art. Current areas of exploration within the laboratory include sonic perspectives on philosophies of making, human and non-human agentiality, the materiality of the body, queer materialities, and notions of ‘low fi’. Artists associated with the laboratory are currently involved in a diverse array of artistic work, ranging from from instrumental music and improvisation to fine art and sound sculpture.

The laboratory operates to develop new aesthetics within contemporary art and music by interconnecting like-minded practitioners with those seeking to build wider conceptual understandings. Operating in the grey-space between theory and practice, the laboratory serves to develop new aesthetics and conceptual infrastructures for music and sonic art by allowing such knowledges to entwine and grow together. Through guest lectures, creative workshops, and interdisciplinary collaborations, the laboratory facilitates the furthering of the field of sonic materialism from theory to practice and back again.

Membership

SoMa welcomes interested new members from all fields. If you would like to be added to the SoMa membership or simply kept informed of our events and activities, please contact the laboratory via the contact details below.

PhD Students

The laboratory welcomes applications from interested PhD students. Enquiries should be directed to the contact address below in the first instance.

Edit section | Website feedback to web@bathspa.ac.uk