ArtAV supports the art world with carefully curated audio tech

“It allows our user base of non-technical people to control the volume of the amplifiers,” he explains. “You can easily log on to the GUI via any web browser on a phone and adjust the volume of every single amp channel with a slider.”

The company recently fed back a specific request to LEA, courtesy of ArtAV’s close relationship with Audiologic (the American manufacturer’s UK distributor): asking for a stripped-back version of the interface with only a single volume slider and a mute button, removing all back-end complexity for end users. “If we can simplify the user interface further, there will be even fewer problems,” Weightman says.

At the same time, the systems ArtAV deploys behind the scenes are far from simple. Many installations involve multiple audio channels spread across several rooms or outdoor areas, with equipment hidden in walls, plant spaces, or temporary racks. Weightman's design team can set up, measure and fine-tune the audio using LEA Professional’s extensive set of DSP parameters, and the company's highly regarded Sharkware configuration suite.

For example, LEA's Connect Series, a range of smart amplifiers with flexible power management and IoT-enabled control capabilities, proved crucial for a large exhibition in Venice. This was Listening All Night to the Rain, an exhibition by John Akomfrah RA for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The scale of the system was significantly larger than normal.

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Subtle support

While amplification and control remain hidden, the loudspeakers themselves must integrate carefully with the visual language of each exhibition. As Weightman explains: "We want discrete speakers that aren't going to take away from the aesthetic of the artwork."

Fohhn loudspeakers have proved effective in striking that balance, providing the sonic quality required for sound art and multimedia installations while maintaining a visually restrained presence.

Fohhn speakers, Weightman notes, “get a lot of traction because of their aesthetic as well as their audio quality”. Artists and curators also often respond immediately to the sonic character of the systems. “Every time we fire up a Fohhn speaker, you get ‘that nod’; they really like it,” he adds. “It's often hard to find something that looks good and sounds good too.”

Art on tour

ArtAV's demanding workflow is made more challenging by the fact that many exhibitions travel between venues, each with very different acoustics and layouts. Upcoming projects include a new exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park and a touring leg of John Akomfrah's exhibition visiting Liverpool and Dundee, alongside work in Sweden and Finland.

Rather than starting from scratch every time, the team builds up libraries of starting configurations for familiar spaces. “We have presets for sets of venues,” says Weightman. “For example, we know that if you need to put 12 speakers on the columns at ‘the Baltic’ in Gateshead, we've got that audio file saved. We can pull that in as a starting point for the next work that features that layout.”

These presets provide a reliable baseline for new installations, helping the team move quickly during tight installation schedules. Each soundscape is then tuned to suit the specific characteristics of the artwork, with ArtAV's engineers adjusting EQ, level and spatial balance. For example, a previous installation may have required heavy low-frequency reinforcement, while the next could be built around dialogue or vocal elements that demand greater clarity in the mid-range.

“The preset just gives us a flat starting point,” Weightman explains. “We then manipulate the sound within the constraints of the artwork to make it sound as good as it possibly can, to match the creative intent of each piece."