Large-Scale Multi-Channel Spatial Installations (20–40 Channels)

Jaakko Autio

Durational spatial sound environments for museums and contemporary art institutions.

I develop large-scale multi-channel sound installations structured as exhibition-duration perceptual systems. Working with breath choirs, low-frequency resonance and generative video, the works unfold as calibrated spatial environments rather than event-based productions.

The practice has evolved through three interconnected bodies of work.

The Border Series examined geopolitical and cultural thresholds — how collective identity and belonging are structured through external boundaries.

The RE-Series shifted the inquiry inward, investigating how perception stabilises through breath, resonance and spatial duration.

The current INTER works operate relationally. Human presence, architectural volume and environmental conditions are treated as co-constitutive elements within a shared perceptual field.

Across these series, the central inquiry remains consistent:
How does collective perception organise itself within shared architectural space?

In a time of sensory overload and social fragmentation, the work investigates how shared listening can rebuild perceptual trust and collective regulation.

I travel with a complete 20–40 channel sound system and work either autonomously or in collaboration with local communities.

Contact: jaakkoaution@gmail.com
Download: Curator Kit (2026)

What the Work Does

The installations function as durational architectures of attention.

They create shared listening fields in which perception reorganises collectively. Intensity typically gathers toward the centre of the space, while peripheral areas allow reduced sensory load and rest. Visitors may move through the system fluidly, staying briefly or dwelling long enough for deeper perceptual shifts to emerge.

Breath, low frequency and silence are treated as structural forces rather than atmospheric effects. The work operates within contemporary art discourse as embodied, research-based spatial composition.

Recent projects expand this inquiry toward relational ecology, where audience presence, spatial acoustics and environmental conditions dynamically influence the perceptual field.

Production Model

Touring Installation

Complete 20–40 channel sound system provided
3–7 day installation period including spatial calibration
Minimal technical demand from venue
Suitable for multi-week or multi-month exhibitions

Locally Embedded Version

1–2 recording sessions with a local choir or vocal community
2–3 days editing and integration
Site-specific material embedded into the spatial composition

The venue supports coordination and provides a quiet recording space. I handle artistic direction, recording and post-production.

This model prioritises collaborative composition rather than extraction. The installation makes audible how a place lives through its people.

Selected Works

RE-SERIES: RE-BIRTH

MUU Gallery, Helsinki, 2025
40-channel immersive installation combining breath choir, spatialised piano, low-frequency physical sound and generative video.

The spatial configuration adapts to architectural scale. Channel count and speaker distribution are calibrated to each venue.

Spatial Configuration Diagram

Top-view diagram of the 40-channel layout indicating central intensity zone, distributed speaker architecture and peripheral lower-load listening areas. The diagram clarifies speaker placement, movement pathways and audience dwell zones.

Video Documentation

RE-BIRTH — Spatial Overview
40-channel configuration and audience movement within the installation (slow tour, approx. 3 min)
[Insert Vimeo / YouTube link here]

Interior perceptual layer — breathing sphere, low-frequency physical sound environment and spatial light composition

Short introduction — condensed overview of the core spatial and sonic concept

RE-SERIES: RE-VERB

Permanent Collection — Aine Art Museum

Multi-channel spatial installation activating architectural volume and a central water basin as a resonant surface. The work extends the RE-Series inquiry into architectural acoustics, material resonance and durational perceptual recalibration within museum context.

INTER: OWLA

Oulu Art Museum, 2023

Community-rooted spatial installation developed with 56 singers. The work integrates locally recorded collective voice into a distributed multi-channel system, transforming architectural space into a shared perceptual field.

Exhibition presentation — artist introduction and spatial documentation filmed during installation phase.

BORDER SERIES: ON THE BORDER

Large-scale multi-channel spatial installation examining borders as lived conditions rather than fixed lines. The work investigates belonging, displacement and identity through distributed sound architecture and durational listening.

Installation documentation demonstrating architectural scale, spatial configuration and audience movement within the field.

Technical Overview

Channels: 20–40 depending on architectural scale
System: complete multi-channel setup provided
Installation period: 3–7 days including spatial calibration and tuning
Exhibition duration: designed for sustained presentation
Core team: 1–4 members depending on scale and collaboration model

Projects are modular and scalable according to institutional context.

Typical budget structure includes:

Artist fee
Travel and accommodation
Technical rental (if additional equipment is required)
Local collaboration costs (if applicable)

Detailed technical rider and spatial diagrams are available in the Curator Kit.

Invitation

For exhibition inquiries, touring proposals or commissions, please share:

Description of the space
Proposed dates
Intended exhibition duration
Whether local collaboration is of interest

I will respond with a tailored proposal including channel configuration, spatial plan, timeline and technical checklist.

Contact: jaakkoaution@gmail.com

I welcome long-term institutional dialogue, touring contexts and site-responsive commissions.