Sonic Art Research Unit (SARU)

Group Leaders: Professor Paul Whitty

Contact: pwhitty@brookes.ac.uk

Sonic Art Research Unit (SARU)

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.

Research impact

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.

Membership

Staff

NameRoleEmail
Dr Stephen CornfordSenior Lecturer in Fine Artscornford@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Paul DibleyProgramme Lead for Musicpaul.dibley@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Patrick FarmerLecturer in Sonic Artspfarmer@brookes.ac.uk
Professor Ray Lee Professor of Sound Artsray.lee@brookes.ac.uk
Dr Matt ParkerResearch FellowResearch Fellow
Professor Paul WhittyHead of School of Artspwhitty@brookes.ac.uk

The SARU collection on RADAR

SARU has produced a rich collection of images and recordings, which can be accessed via Oxford Brookes’ open access repository, RADAR. 

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