Fat Zero

Nigel Helyer (a.k.a. Dr Sonique) is a Sydney based Sculptor and Sound Artist with an international reputation for his large scale sonic installations, environmental sculpture works and new media projects. His practice is actively inter-disciplinary linking creative practice with scientific Research and Development. Recent activities include; the development of a ‘Virtual Audio Reality’ system in collaboration with Lake Technology (Sydney) and the ongoing ‘AudioNomad’ research project in location sensitive Environmental Audio at the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of New South Wales. He is an honorary faculty member in Architectural Acoustics at the University of Sydney and maintains active research links with the “SymbioticA” bio-technology lab at the University of Western Australia. He has recently been a visiting Professor at Stanford University and an Artist in Residence at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland. Nigel is a co-founder and commissioner of the “SoundCulture” organisation; a recent fellow of the Australia Council for 2002/3, the winner of the Helen Lempriere National Sculpture Award 2002 and the curator of “Sonic-Differences” as part of the Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth 2004. Dr Nigel Helyer has a unique role in the development of Sound Art, both within Australia and at an International level. During the course of the past twenty years his contribution in the areas of practice, critical debate and advocacy have had a strong influence on the practice of Sound Art, helping it to emerge from a position of relative obscurantism to become a vital and internationally recognised form of cultural expression. Helyer has maintained a strong insistence upon the linkage between practice and theory, not only in his practice, but also in his role as a teacher (Head of Sculpture at Sydney College of the Arts, The University of Sydney 1985~1999). In a professional capacity he possesses a facility to operate between various sectors, frequently incorporating both Creative Arts and the Broadcast sector. More recently, he has formed a series of highly effective relationships between Cultural and Technological/Scientific entities. His role as an advocate for these cross-disciplinary linkages has long been active. His work as co-founder and commissioner for the SoundCulture organisation, has contributed to the production of a series of seminal international festivals (Sydney 1991, Tokyo 1993, San Francisco 1996, Auckland 1999 and Phoenix 2002) and SoundCulture is a major partner in the current Biennale of Electronic Arts Perth 2004. During the last three years he has been committed to the development of policy and funding initiatives at the Australia Council that directly support Art and Science collaborations. He played an active role in the development of the “Synapse” Art and Science partnership scheme that has introduced joint funding by the Australia Council and the ARC, established a nation wide database and hosts Artists to work within Science organisation.

Cfr. n. Arch. 184.23 ZERO is a limited edition collection of one-minute soundworks by international sound artists, experimental composers, noise makers and other audio creators. Contributors were invited to create an original recording of one-minute duration for the CD on the theme of ZERO – whether through their stripped-down, low-tech aesthetic or a focus on themes of absence, abstraction, distortion or a sense of thereshold between one state and another. The CD contains a broad variety of one-minute soundworks and presents the results of artists working thematically in chance juxtaposition. By bringing together this calibre and range of contributions, ZETRO aims to stimulate further interest in the artist work and practice, debate and dialogue surrounding sound art. The artists on ZERO range from well known world figures, to individuals and groups making their first wirks in this field. ZERO was commisioned by the Foundation for Art & Creative Technology (FACT) and was published with the support from Liverpool Art School.