Unlike a traditional audio walk, this iteration of the project is not an instructional walking tour. Snippets of stories are layered and echoed in the way that information might be recalled or stories passed down through generations – sometimes crisp and clear, sometimes muffled or incomplete. Impressions of place will be told through original score combining live stringed instruments, tuning forks, broken manipulated speech and experimental soundscape that move in and out of non linear time.

Drawing upon the history of the building, this is an important research project into one of the most culturally significant buildings in Melbourne’s CBD. Little information has been published on the tenants of the building and the artists, makers and specialty retailers that have – and continue to – operate out of it. This is their chance to have a voice and to share their stories. The memories that people have of this place are a fundamental part of the building’s social history. They can present a counter-narrative to the official history and encourage new engagement with the building in a time that we can’t rely on being able to physically visit it.

all that you hear is all that is heard is an experimental storytelling project using the motion sensors within our smartphones. The idea for this stemmed from Curator and Creative Producer Rachael Paintin. Site specific to the Nicholas Building (Melbourne, Australia), audio conversations with past and present tenants are woven into a composition that combines original score by Biddy Connor and The Letter String Quartet. The project was celebrated with a one-off live performance in October 2022.