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The Ethometric Museum

Commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music (OCM) ‘The Ethometric Museum’ was first presented in the basement gallery of the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford. It has gone on to to be presented at BEAM Festival, Brunel University (2011), South Hill Park Arts Centre (2011), Battersea Arts Centre (2012), Gravity Fields Festival (2012), Bournemouth Arts Festival (2012), Corsham Arts Festival (2012), the Tesla Museum, Belgrade, Serbia (2012) supported by the British Council, and The Ashmolean Museum Oxford.

It won Lee the 2012 British Composer of the Year award for Sonic Art and an excerpt and interview were broadcast on BBC Radio 3 (see portfolio for details).

The Ethometric Museum explores Lee’s interest in the development of electrical technology and the idea of a ‘loss of wonder’ caused by the development of the scientific method in the Enlightenment. (Daston and Park 1999). The work aims to recreate a sense of wonder through the use of kinetic sound machines and the creation of a fictional narrative. The work continues and makes explicit Lee’s interest in theatrical form as a means of guiding an audience through the work.

The Ethometric Museum consists of an archive of curious electronic instruments the precise use and purpose of which is apparently no longer known. The underpinning research for the work was conducted at the Bakken Museum of Electricity and Life in Minneapolis, USA. The Ethometric Museum continues Lee’s exploration of the relationship between audience and artwork notable in previous works such as ‘Siren’ (2004) and ‘Forcefield (2008).

The Ethometric Museum has had a considerable impact in the field of sound art through the awarding of the British Composer of the Year award for Sonic Art.

The portfolio of documentation includes video, photographic and sound recordings. Numerous press reviews and a score are also available.