In 2021, Simon Maisch was involved as audio system designer (in collaboration with Lawrence Harvey) and engineer for a large channel-count immersive sound installation at McClelland Sculpture Gallery, as part of an exhibition titled Site & Sound: Sonic art as ecological practice.
Simon designed, configured and installed the loudspeaker array to enable looping playback of works corresponding to a schedule; assisted with the spatial mix of works with Lawrence Harvey; and engineered a variety of events around the exhibition for groups such as Liquid Architecture & Starlings.
Artists presented as part of the exhibition include Leah Barclay, Daniel Browning, Reuben Derrick, Susan Frykberg, Philip Samartzis, Eugene Ughetti, Rachel Meyers, Frans Ari Prasetyo, Barry Truax, and many more.
Curated by Jon Buckingham, Lawrence Harvey, and Simon Lawrie, Site & Sound surveyed diverse practices to reveal the connections between deep listening, field recording, acoustic ecology, natural science, and spatialised sound in contemporary art.
Physical sculptures and room layout was designed by Ross McLeod.
Site & Sound was presented in partnership with RMIT Culture and SIAL Sound Studios (RMIT), with generous support from Creative Victoria, The Besen Family Foundation, Yamaha Music Australia, and Selby Acoustics.