LOCATION Melbourne, Australia
ARCHITECT Cox Architects, Melbourne
ARTWORK Proximities
SOUND DESIGN Sonia Leber and David Chesworth
VISUAL ARTIST Simeon Nelson

Commemorating the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, Proximities explores the distinctive singing styles of the 53 commonwealth nations now living in Australia. Three artists Sonia Sonia Leber, David Chesworth in collaboration with Simeon Nelson created a sonic corridor of human voices. Leber and Chesworth choreographed the soundscape, blending both the similar and disparate styles of European Baroque, Celtic and Arabic to Maori and Polynesian. 'Notions of syncopation, consonance and dissonance play out along the unfolding pattern.' Nelson's visual element is a 'calligraphic motif...its arc and tendrils frame the mingling voices, unrolling in syncopation with the dynamic variations within the soundscape.' The installation includes applied paintwork, 60 grilles, 56 loudspeakers, 4 sensors and 24 channels.