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Sound takes centre stage in new Len Lye Centre exhibition

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PUBLISHED: 8 APR 2026
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A major new exhibition at NPDC’s Govett-Brewster Art Gallery | Len Lye Centre spotlights how sound can help us understand a rapidly changing world.

Direct Bodily Empathy – Sound, Signal, Feedback, opened on 4 April and examines signals, warnings and possibilities carried through vibration, noise and listening through the work of artists from New Zealand and overseas.

Visitors will experience a rich programme of sound and moving‑image works, including weather‑activated aeolian harps that ‘sing’ from the Len Lye Centre rooftop; an immersive installation that evokes a forest in recovery through native birdsong; and an experimental film that uses the warning siren as a portal for imagining new futures

The exhibition spans sonic sculptures, large-scale sound and video installations, field recordings, musical compositions, and experimental films by artists including Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Andrew Faleatua + Stroma, Simon Ingram, Len Lye, Machine Listening, Yuko Mohri, Aura Satz, Rachel Shearer, Weather Cry and YoungEun Kim.

Curated by Anna Briers, Sound, Signal, Feedback is the second chapter of the Len Lye Centre’s tenth anniversary series Direct Bodily Empathy.

Drawing on Len Lye’s interest in sensing nature through movement and energy, this iteration focuses on sound as a tool for understanding the conditions shaping our present and future. The exhibition asks how can sound act as a political force of consequence in the world?

Direct Bodily Empathy – Sound, Signal, Feedback runs through to 11 October, with programme of talks, performances and celebratory events rolling out from 27 June.

At a glance

  • Opened in 1970, the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery in New Plymouth was founded through a bequest from local visionary Monica Brewster (nee Govett).
  • The Len Lye Centre opened in July 2015 and is a joint initiative by NPDC, Govett-Brewster Art Gallery and the Len Lye Foundation.
  • The Gallery has earned major architectural and design awards, recognised globally for bold, innovative and inclusive exhibition programming.
  • It also operates an art and design store, an art-house cinema, and offers vibrant education and public programmes.

 

Caption: Aura Satz, Sirening (as a verb), 2026. Still from multi-channel video installation HD and 16mm, duration variable. © and courtesy the artist, London.

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Page last updated: 09:22am Wed 08 April 2026

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