When British audio brand KEF first started out on its Journey Through Sound into the metaverse, collaborating with and shining a light on the creators in the web3 world were always part of the bigger picture.

Now, after the brands’ launch of Absorbed, its inaugural series of generative NFTs, KEF has brought the spotlight on web3 artists to life. In partnership with design collective Parameta and generative art platform fx(hash), the brand has curated and is hosting an exhibition at KEF Music Gallery in Hong Kong to celebrate the world of generative audio art.

Journey Through Sound is a showcase of both emerging and established generative artists – a global roster of creatives carving their own space in a growing niche of digital art and NFTs. Collections by Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez from Spain, Andreas Rau from Norway, Jinyao Lin from Taiwan and of course, the creator of Absorbed, Hieroglyphica from the US are exhibited, taking viewers on a journey through generative audio art.

EXPLORING THE FUTURE OF GENERATIVE ART

The exhibition marked its opening with a panel discussion led by Parameta Founder Gus Lee and featuring the artists as well as fx(hash) founder, ciphrd. Examining the future of the space and discussing the artists’ work, the panel lent an insight into the generative art space from those revolutionising and building within it day-to-day.  

Guests also took part in live minting at the event, marking the first time that a generative audio piece would be live minted as part of an exhibition. Besides pieces from KEF’s own Absorbed collection, Jinyao Lin’s Intimate collections was also live minted, with the newly minted creations appearing on screens in real time for collectors. A limited number of exclusive pieces are still available for live minting for exhibition guests.

JINYAO LIN ­– INTIMATE

Jinyao Lin’s Intimate collection was created exclusively for KEF’s Journey Through Sound, and the artists’ attendance at the exhibition meant that guests and collectors were able to experience Intimate in a setting exactly as the name intended – intimate and personal.

MARCELO SORIA-RODRÍGUEZ & ANDREAS RAU – TOCCATA

KEF’s Journey Through Sound exhibition also exhibits, for the first time, a curation of Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez and Andreas Rau’s joint collection, Toccata. A collaborative work by two established and celebrated artists in the generative audio art world, Toccata captures themes of decay, change and music. In an explanation of the collection, Rau says the artists’ intentions were to create a “music piece that wouldn’t necessarily be a music piece”. 

Stories and journeys like that of Jinyao Lin – who holds both a PhD of computer science and a Master of Fine Art, and has been creating generative audio art since the 2010s – and Hieroglyphica – who was an academic director for 16 years creating art as a hobby since 2005, but didn’t start releasing any work until the web3 opportunities of 2022 – illustrate the power of generative art and the speed in which its boundaryless nature can change creators’ lives.

While this first edition of Journey Through Sound in real life takes place in Hong Kong, it marks the first in a series of future global events and NFT collections celebrating the notion of sound in generative art.

For anyone in Hong Kong, visit the exhibition:
13 – 30 December, 2022
KEF Music Gallery | 12/F, 1 Duddell Street, Central, Hong Kong

All Images: KEF

Writer | Soyoung Park

Soyoung is a perpetual third culture kid currently in Hong Kong as Sound of Life’s Lead Editor. When not at her day job, she lives to explore and daydream about the underwater world.

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