SARU is a collective of practitioners jointly managed by Prof. Paul Whitty and Dr. Patrick Farmer. Other practitioners include Prof. Ray Lee, Harriet Butler, Dr. Matt Parker and Dr. Stephen Cornford. It is a curatorial platform focusing on the production and research of sound and auditory knowledge, providing a forum for dialogue in between a variety of different fields.
SARU supports the record label Consumer Waste, and often works in partnership with Compost and Height and Oxford Contemporary Music.
SARU is involved in a variety of research projects, such as Ray Lee’s kinetic sound sculptures, Max Eastley’s Aeolian experiments, and Sound Diaries, a project recording everyday life in sound. It also:
runs audiograft, an annual festival of experimental music and sound art
curates regular practitioner talks and lectures, such as the Sound I’m Particular series
releases a variety of media, from publications about the sounds of football not happening, to a pillow book about the river Lea
from 2020, has hosted an online bi-weekly research seminar, a chance for people involved in SARU to share and discuss work in an informal setting.