UK & Ireland Map

West Street Story
Located in the heart of Brighton city centre, West Street Story was an original 3D soundscape that transformed the atmosphere and ambience of the cacophonous clubbing area.
Utilising both recorded and live sounds, the ambient piece was created in the centre of the city presenting residents, tourists and revelers a contrast to the raucous disharmony so frequently encountered in lively areas at night.
The piece was broadcast at the Sallis Benney Theatre in 3D sound, accompanied by live footage of people moving through the landscape provided by Driftwood productions. Entitled ‘Come Together’, the event included classes in body language, music and social terr...
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In partnership with White Night, The Noise Abatement Society, Brighton and Hove City Council, Arts Commission Brighton and Hove, Amiens Metropole, Interreg.

The Beatles Show
A permanent feature at The Museum of Liverpool, The Beatles Show is an exhibition telling the story of the group in Liverpool – the birthplace of a musical and cultural revolution that swept the world.
Focusing on the city and its unique influence on popular culture, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the sights and sounds that shaped the John, Paul, George and Ringo's music.
As part of the exhibition, Illustrious was commissioned to 3D spatialise content for the 15 minute immersive audio and visual experience, collaborating with production company Hurricane Films.
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In partnership with the Northwest Regional Development Agency, Heritage Lottery Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Diaspora Magnet
Shown at the annual Sensoria Festival in Sheffield, Diaspora Magnet was a soundscape installation created by Illustrious Company alongside visual projections by graphic designer Malcolm Garrett RDI.
Part of the Echo City Project, Diaspora Magnet presented Sheffield as an exemplar of industrial cities everywhere, with the city acting as a vehicle to address ideas surrounding urban life and social dynamics.
The visuals created by Garrett ran on an infomatic 15 minute loop and were accompanied by Ware’s 3D sound installation.
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In partnership with Arts Council England, Screen Yorkshire, UK Film Council, The University of Sheffield, Yamaha, The Musicians Union, Sound on Sound, Sheffield Music City.
La Prima Donna
Performed live in Pandora’s Playground at the Latitude Festival, this unique collaboration between La Prima Donna and Illustrious Company saw a new live performance of dance and 3D Sound.
‘La Prima Donna’ was an audio-visual performance installation by Hellcat Productions, which utilised characters from Caryl Churchill’s 1982 play ‘Top Girls’. Combining choreographed dance, performative gender and period-shifting costume the performance explored contorted ideals of feminine beauty.
Featuring live DJing, the sound was provided by Illustrious using 3D surround sound technology.
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Soundlife Workington
Written to commemorate the opening of The Hub, the world’s first permanent outdoor 3D Soundfield, Illustrious Company provided a 3D sound experience that utilised recordings made in and around Workington.
Designed to provide shelter as well as act as a new performance space, The Hub is large canopy suspended from surrounding buildings, and was designed by BASE Structures in Bristol incorporating 3D sound technology and lighting.
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In partnership with Allerdale Council and Future of Sound.

Cybersonica: AV Lab
A collaboration between Cybersonica, Future of Sound, Lighthouse and Illustrious Company, AV Lab was a week long residential creative & practical workshop exploring sound, moving image, art and technology.
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In partnership with Cybersonica, Future of Sound, and Lighthouse.

(re)Actor3: This is LIVErpool
Transplanting the theoretical musings of the International Conference For Digital Live Art into a practical setting, (re)Actor3: This is LIVErpool featured an evening of installations, digital live art, and performances using ‘augmented instruments’.
Using 3D immersive sound technology installed by Illustrious, the event featured work from Martyn Ware, Future of Sound, The Sancho Plan, Luciana Haill, Sarah Nicolls, and Nick Rothwell (a.k.a. Cassiel) amongst others.
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In partnership with HCI 2008, BCS, Future of Sound, Big Dog Interactive, Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London, Dream Time Films, and Routledge.
(re)Actor3 Day Conference
Exploring the emerging field of Digital Live Art, (re)Actor3 was an international forum that focused on the intersection of live art, computing and human-computer interaction, with Illustrious providing 3D sound technology and consultancy for the event.
The forum was also co-located with one of Europe’s largest and longest running HCI conferences on human-computer interaction, providing a unique opportunity to reach the top decision makers in the field.
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In partnership with HCI 2008, BCS, Future of Sound, Big Dog Interactive, Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London, Dream Time Films, and Routledge.

Sonic Heatmap, 2008 b.Tween Conference
Teaming up with conference hosts b.Tween, Illustrious created a live generative 3D soundscape for this major creative conference hosted at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.
Based in the main auditorium of the conference, the 3D soundscape was played constantly but subtly in the background and was triggered by the delegates themselves.
Using a heat map of the connections made between people at the conference, different sounds were triggered and played back in the correct geographical location relative to where the encounter occurred within the museum.
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In partnership with b.Tween and the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry.

Future of Sound at Futuresonic
A multi-media, audio-visual spectacular, Future of Sound at Future Sonic was conceived by Martyn Ware of Illustrious Company and combined a hands-on demo with a unique 3D clubbing experience.
A stuning showcase of “future music”, the event combined 3D DJ and VJ sets as well as live music with performances from artists such as the Modified Toy Orchestra, The Sancho Plan, Luciana Haill, Tal Rosner and Squidsoup.
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In partnership Arts Council England, Manchester City Council, and Imagination Lancaster.

Duet for Eyes: EyeJamming & EyeBodyWeaving
Using cutting edge interaction technology, Duet for Eyes: EyeJamming and EyeBodyWeaving was a performance by severely disabled creative artists James Brosnan and Katie Gilligan, orchestrated via the movement of their eyes.
In the performance, Brosnan and Gilligan led a team of artists and engineers in a real time music and dance jam, using a special computer called the MyTobii system, controlled simply by looking at the screen.
Working alongside other members of the University of East London's SMARTlab, Illustrious formed part of the Spiritlevel group, a collective of scholars, engineers, artists and medical experts interested in th...
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In partnership with Smartlab, Tobii, Kila, Science Gallery, BBC, University of East London, Arts Council England, and The Mulitmedia and Games Innovation Centre.

Cybersonica 3D Sampler
Held as part of the Enter_Unknown Territories series of events, Cybersonica 3D Sampler was an evening of live electronic performances, DJs, VJs and short film screenings with 3D sound provided by Illustrious.
Curated by Martyn Ware of Illustrious in collaboration with Cybersonica, the event was an ambitious mix of progressive electronic music, innovative audiovisualisation, screenings of musical shorts and interactive sonic art, featuring performances from Eclectic Method, Brian Duffy’s Modified Toy Orchestra, The Sancho Plan, and ALT*CTRL amongst others.
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In partnership with The Junction, Boomslang, Enter_Unknown, and Future Shorts.
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Heritage and Innovation Dinner
Featuring music especially composed by Illustrious for the event, the Heritage and Innovation Dinner was an awards ceremony and dinner that celebrated the work of Sheffield based businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Trip the Light Fantastic
An exhibition of five artists and designers whose work with glass, lighting, sound, mixed media and animation all focused on the elusive qualities of light in their practice, Trip the Light Fantastic featured a three-dimensional composition by Martyn Ware of Illustrious.
Working in collaboration with lighting designer Pip Rhodes, Ware created a three-dimensional synaesthetic soundscape to accompany a room immersed in pure monochromatic colour, that swept through the spectrum over a one hour period.
For the project, multiple digital projectors were used to cast light upon a glass sculpture specially designed by Illustrious and created by the glass artists from the museum itself.
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Fathom
Launched to coincide with the Newcastle Gateshead Tall Ships Race and River Festival, Fathom was a major exhibition of works by leading video and sound artists that featured a specially composed soundscape from Illustrious.
A ground breaking cultural event for the region, the Hatton Gallery exhibition examined the various ways in which those artists featured explored the relationship between man and water, focusing on its primal psychological and physical lure.
For the project, Martyn Ware and Vince Clarke of Illustrious contributed their three dimensional sound installation ‘Blue (you are underwater)’, with this piece exhibiting alongside such international a...
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In partnership with Tyne & Wear: Archives & Museums Museum, Hatton Gallery: Great North Museum, and Newcastle Gateshead Tourism Board.
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Shine
Organised to mark the unveiling of the Bill Brown Cutlery Collection, ‘Shine’ saw Illustrious compose a three dimensional soundscape using field recordings taken in the metalwork factories of Sheffield as source material.
Working in collaboration, Martyn Ware and Vince Clarke of Illustrious Company spent two days in the factories recording the sounds of machinery hammering, grinding, and buffing, before mixing them with various other sounds and oral narratives of people from the light metal industry, to create a unique composition.
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In partnership with The New Metalwork Gallery and The Millenium Galleries.
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Lucky Motors
Performed at the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology (FACT), Lucky Motors was a collaborative work in which Vince Clark and Martyn Ware of Illustrious produced a generative 3D soundscape to accompany artist Tim Head’s digital artwork.
Permeating the foyer, atrium and Gallery One spaces at FACT, the digital animation created by Tim Head was an endless succession of continually evolving random colours that traveled across these interior spaces.
In response to this, Clark and Ware created a 3D Ambisonic surround sound composition that allowed live interaction between the audience response and the synthetic modulation of the live musical co...
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In partnership with FACT, Rope Walks, Liverpool City Council, and Arts Council England.

Atlantic Edge
Installed as part of Atlantic Edge at the Cliffs of Mother Exhibition Centre, The Ledge was an interactive exhibit featuring immersive three dimensional sound from Illustrious.
Housed at the centre of the underground building, Atlantic Edge is a huge domed cave containing images, exhibits, displays & experiences exploring different elements of the mighty Cliffs of Moher.
Connected to the central dome of the exhibition via a winding tunnel that evokes the many caves of the area, The Ledge is a a virtual reality cliff face adventure.
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In partnership with Clare Community College, National Development Fund, European Regional Development Fund, and Failte Ireland: National Tourism Development Authority.
Sparking Reactions
Produced by the Science Museum, London, Sparking Reactions was an exploration of the debate surrounding nuclear power and electricity generation in the UK, featuring a soundtrack and sound design from Illustrious.
The exhibition features a purpose built observatory with a panorama of the Sellafield site, a digital viewing gallery charting the development of BNFL and Sellafield and an international area where visitors can learn about the global operations of the company.
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In partnership with the Science Museum and the Sellafield Visitors Centre.
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Sound Corridor
Installed in the Will Allsop multimedia interactive building known as The Public, Sound Corridor was an immersive audio piece created by Surround. AV with 3D sound consultancy provided by Illustrious.
The piece was installed in the walkway area of the building using the Sonic Image 16 technology as used at the Illustrious studio.
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Your Money
Commissioned by the National Waterfront Museum for the ‘Your Money’ exhibit, Illustrious created a series of interactive 3D audio soundscapes, each representing a different kind of shopping experience to visitors.
Using a mix of dialogue, reminisces and ambient sounds, the exhibit took visitors on a short journey through the history and development of the retail experience in Wales, from the company truck shop of the Industrial Revolution through to the modern Department stores of the 20th and 21st Century.
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In partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund.
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Auroral Synapse
A collaborative work between Anna Hill, Iarla O’Lionaird, Jason Bruges and Martyn Ware of Illustrious, Auroral Synapse was a a filmic soundscape installation that used magnetic frequencies from the Aurora Borealis and the human voice to interact with the senses.
Using recordings made by Hill on a recent visit to Finland, the soundscape was an amalgamation of O’Lionard’s voice, ambient sounds, local musicians and singers, and interviews with scientists studying the geo-physics of the aurora borealis, edited together into one cohesive composition by Jason...
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Pretentious
‘Music For Multiple Dimensions’, was the first soundscape commissioned by the National Centre for Popular Music in Sheffield, and was performed there several times daily in the Soundscapes 3D auditorium.
Composed and recorded by Vince Clarke and Martyn Ware of Illustrious, this track later featured on the album ‘Pretentious’ released by Mute Records, and was the first album to realise the potential of 3D soundscapes.
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In partnership with The National Centre for Popular Music and Mute Records.
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The Leaky Droid
Illustrious created a series of 3D soundscape compositions for this theatrical event by students from Northbrook College, Goring-by-Sea.
Come visit the Leaky Droid bar located on the planet PH1 for a 20 minute interactive experience, try and get a drink, trade items and make ‘friends’.
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The planet’s earth name is PH1, locally known to the aliens as raesera (loosing translates as gas). It is the route 66 of planets, meaning it’s a rough place and you should only stop there if needs be. It has basic emanates but it is mostly used for scavenging, trading and doing dodgy deals. The only reason the people of earth have been invited here is because, amongst all the junk, they discovered the voyager record. The ‘aliens’ that live on this planet are those that have nowhere else to go, either because they are outcasts or there planet has run out of resources.
The ‘aliens’, fascinated by these humans, have invited them to their most reputable bar on the planet to entertain and meet them. (With possible suggestions to a inter-species night). A portal has been opened connecting these two worlds allowing a safe passage without any of the flying into space business!
There will be 4 aliens to interact with in the space:
The first one you will be greeted by will be a strange character squatting down on the floor (this is how he moves); he will be working at the bar and serving up stance drinks and food. He will expect payment!
Another one will be a water based alien complete with gils and a water tank allowing her to breathe, she will feel slimy to the touch and is on the look out for a mate to take her to earth where there will be plenty of water for her to bask in.
The next will be a heat-based alien, touch her and it will burn. She will be wearing armour to protect you from her inner heat.
The last will be a carbon-based alien, made from crystals and coal, completely black.
The last 3 aliens will be your entertainment, they will be performing a song in honour of your arrival. They will be basing there song on that of the voyager records, as they think this is what humans love to hear!

The Adventures of Sky: The Reluctant Hero
The Adventures Of Sky – The Reluctant Hero is an interactive one-person show. It is written and performed by Nikky Norton Shafau and directed by The Core’s Creative Director Chris Sudworth.
"Sky has not slept a wink for six whole months and appears to have lost everything. Having left her home town to begin a new life in the city, her success and her senses break down. 3am: another sleepless night. A sound from deep without. The Door opens. Sky steps outside… but the world doesn’t look, feel or sound the same as it used to. Nightmares, dreams and reality blur as Sky searches for heroic capabilities to find her way back ‘home’."
Nikky Norton
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Recapture
Recapture is a composition based around the notion of how we reminisce, and fondness for memories. Martyn used computer processing to scramble famous old songs to within an inch of recognition, and intelligently recombine them into a 3D sound composition. Recapture is gentle and affectionate, and is hopefully another piece of the jigsaw to help discover the emotional significance of how we process music.
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Connect the Dots
Martyn created an immersive audio experience that combines the physicality of the sound wave with the reception of outstanding new music.
Martyn worked with collaborators Darkstar who have steadily developed an electronica cache sound that draws sonically from grime, dubstep, electro and synth-pop, Darkstar and are newly signed to Warp Records.
The project reflects a revised perspective on technology and its increasingly closer relationship with the human body.
The weekends events included installations and performances from:
Andrea Byrne, Patatap, Mogees, Martyn Ware, Fatima Al Quidiri, Algorave, Bleep.com, Darkstar, Warp, Ninja Tune
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Too Much Information
Martyn Ware created a soundscape for a exhibition by Blast Theory and two groups of random people who had never met, in a series of three workshops. It looks at different life experiences and what we can enjoy and learn from each other from different points in our lives. As you walk around the centre of Manchester these shared revelations are set to specially commissioned soundscore by Martyn Ware.
It was presented as part of FutureEverything 2015.
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Sense Of Steel
Martyn Ware worked with Tracey Moberley and Sarah Hopkins to learn each other's disciplines and create works based around the theme of the legacy of steel, featuring printmaking, 3D soundscaping, ceramics, embroidery and painting.
Tracey Moberly is an interdisciplinary artist, author and radio host, and was also a co-owner of The Foundry in London.
Sarah Hopkins is an established Welsh printmaker. Her work focuses mainly on the urban environment and industrial heritage of South Wales.
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The Crossing
Illustrious created a 3D soundscape for ‘The Crossing’, a shopping centre in the centre of Liverpool, in honour of Cunard’s 175th transatlantic anniversary celebrations. The soundscape transports you from one magnificent city to another using unique 3D sound techniques. It features new orchestral compositions by Martyn and his 17-year old son Gabriel Ware.
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The Prisoner
Illustrious create a 3D soundscape covering the entire central piazza of Portmeirion (60m x 30m) playing a giant version of Prisoner soundtracks, and created a world-premiere 3D-sound version of the impressive new Kevin Allen feature film interpretation of Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood.
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Sounds of our Shores
Martyn Ware released an 82-minute coastal soundscape inspired by the hundreds of sounds submitted as part of the ‘Sounds of our Shores’ project, which ran throughout the summer of 2015.
This ‘cinema for the mind’ takes listeners on a sonic journey into a world of rich, diverse and beautiful sounds from the stunning UK coastline.
Martyn said: “This project has been a delight to work on – it has been a genuine pleasure to create this unique composition featuring the amazing sounds that people have recorded around our magnificent and characterful coastline.”
“I’ve tried to create an emotional journey around all the elements that connect us all to the coast and the seaside, and this has been beautifully enhanced by...
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I Am An Insect - The Forest of Imagination
On 29 June – 2 July 2017 Forest of Imagination will take root in Bath for its fourth year.
Gabriel Ware, in collaboration with Illustrious, has composed a beautiful immersive orchestral 3D soundscape, featuring sounds of insects drifting around an beautiful ancient woodland glen.
Also children (and adults) can participate by wearing specially created 'insect hats' which will each have a unique insect sound of their own...
For the first time, imagine seeing and feeling the world from an insect's point of view!
Last year we transformed the spaces around and inside Bath Abbey into a fantastical new world and welcomed over 10,000 visitors!
This year we creatively linked the urban edge of Ba...
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Illustrious collaborates with Resonate at Festival Number 6
Illustrious will be creating a 3D soundscape in astoundingly beautiful Hercules Hall in Portmeirion village during Festival Number 6
The collaboration will feature Time Wheater and Cherub Sanson performing a long-form piece entitled Aurora Hum which will feature a seamless merging of electronic and naturally resonant sounds performing as a kind-of morning relaxation and healing ritual.
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Power Project Launched
Martyn Ware, Tracey Moberly and Sarah Hopkins have begun a multi-disciplinary and cross platform collaboration based on Power and Industry. The project aims to examine these themes using synaesthetic imagery, creating an immersive and multisensory experience for the viewer.
United in their passion for creativity in all its forms and with a fascination for industrial architecture and processes, the artists discovered a closer bond. As they shared and developed their practices, they discovered that their fathers had all had life-long careers in UK steel industry. The Power Project is therefore a very poignant gesture towards the industry that unfolded and became so important in their lives from a young age. The scale and all-encompassing nature of the steel industry will be accentua...
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The illustrious portfolio includes installations, events and performance works alongside many media projects.
Illustrious has developed projects for organisations such as BP, The British Council, Sony Computer Entertainments Europe, The National Trust, The Science Museum, The Royal Ballet, V&A, Amnesty International, Unilever and Museum of London.
Illustrious often collaborates with other creative partners such as IMAGES&Co, Jason Bruges Studio and New Angle, amongst many others.