Seoul-born but now based in Bondi artist, Vicki Lee recently opened her gallery space in Potts Point, marking its launch with a new exhibition The Sound of Yellow. Playing with solfeggio frequencies, which have been proven to reduce stress, improve sleep and increase creativity – Genelec loudspeakers drew the guests into the immersive exhibition experience.

The project began with Genelec’s Australian distribution partner Studio Connections, who recognised that the brand would be an excellent choice for the project. ‘It was a challenging concept which pushed us out of our comfort zone, but as we were relying on a Genelec system, we knew that the result would be really powerful and moving,’ explains Studio Connections MD, Deb Sloss.

The Sound of Yellow encouraged visitors to play with their perception of three of the five senses. Lee describes painting as a ‘transcendent experience’, where colours have different sounds and scents, specifically yellow which she hears the loudest.

‘It’s forceful; it represents the beginning of each day, a sense of hope, and also the end of each day and a sense of rest,’ she says. ‘It’s happy and melancholic at the same time.’

The Sound of Yellow incorporated visual yellow through paint, plaster, porcelain and natural resin. A custom scent was also designed in collaboration with Clayton Ilolahia, which was infused with notes of citron zest, pink pepper, saffron, ambergris and golden syrup. Additionally, Lee created a bespoke tea to punctuate the scene with a warming, peaceful moment of repose.

For the sound element, guests arrived in groups of six and were invited to ‘shed their persona’ by uncloaking and dressing in a custom designed white robe. From there, they entered a structure that was built to infuse solfeggio frequencies through the body via four white Genelec 8361 coaxial loudspeakers and four Genelec W371 woofer systems from the company’s The Ones series, complemented by a 7382 subwoofer.

The 8361 three-way studio loudspeaker is the flagship model of The Ones series, and offers advanced acoustical performance and a wide dynamic range for small to medium-sized rooms. The 8361 adapts to a space, delivering uncoloured performance from stereo through to complex immersive applications. The W371 works with the 8361 to produce a full-range loudspeaker system with a smooth in-room response and ultra-coherent low-frequency imaging. Completing the system, the 7382 subwoofer is Genelec’s most powerful to date.

The sound installation was housed in two open rooms with very high ceilings. Two loudspeaker ‘stacks’ were positioned up against an exposed concrete wall, while the other two stood freely. Genelec’s GLM software dealt with the frequency imbalance between these two sets of speakers, created by their positioning in the room. The software works to analyse and minimise the effect of unwanted acoustic influences in a space, giving users total control of the reproduced sound.

‘The room was essentially a large echo chamber, and the only concession to the reverberation was a selection of artworks hanging on the walls,’ Sloss says. ‘In the middle of the room was a large wooden plinth that hid the 7382 subwoofer. The idea was that gallery visitors would lie down on the plinth and feel the vibrations.’

The system played a series of nine frequencies between 174Hz and 963Hz, whose use is rooted in traditions such as Gregorian and Sanskrit chants. It is believed that they have a positive impact on mental wellbeing and can also relieve physical pain.

Lee wanted her guests to feel the bass as they lay on the plinth listening to the healing frequencies, so the volume balance was tweaked by reducing the level of each of the four speaker stacks by 4dB, thereby raising the relative subwoofer volume.

‘I wanted to share my experience and what it feels like when I paint with yellow,’ Lee says. ‘The Genelec speakers and the subwoofer that were built into the structure are rich in texture, they are tuned to perfection. My desire was to use the insanely good sound to connect with people, and without Genelec that wouldn’t have been possible.’

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