Take part in an intensive Research & Development residency to create bold new works for the IKO spherical loudspeaker.
Artist Residency Commission Awardees
As part of Sonic Spheres, the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre has invited composers and sound artists to take part in an intensive Research & Development residency to create bold new works for 3 x IKO spherical loudspeakers and loudspeaker orchestra, culminating in a premiere performance in the Fireworks Factory at Woolwich Works on Saturday 9 May 2026.
Following an open call for applications, we are pleased to award two commissions to the following artists, who will engage in this process of research, experimentation, and performance:
Kat Pegler
Spring Brain
A spatial sound work that immerses audiences in the shifting cognitive landscape of ADHD, tracing a journey from winter burnout to the intense, fast-moving energy of a “spring brain” through layered, overlapping sound in motion.
Using spherical loudspeaker arrays, the piece spatialises thought as orbiting, colliding, and dissolving streams, creating an embodied listening experience that offers insight into neurodivergent perception and attention.
Biography
Kat Pegler is an interdisciplinary artist and artistic researcher working across immersive sound, participatory practice, and ecological methodologies. Her work explores flow-state and music as a method for environmental connection, creating sensory and collective experiences that investigate relationships between people, place, and more-than-human systems. She develops spatial sound compositions, installations, and community-led projects that bridge artistic practice and environmental research. Kat has been Lead Artist on the Horizon EU VOICE project and is Co-Founder of Kerbside Collective, a sustainability-led research studio working across heritage, public space, and climate engagement. Her recent work includes immersive sonic projects on climate futures (Brunel University), and spatial audio for XR and exhibitions. She has received Arts Council England funding to develop her spatial sound practice and has contributed to international collaborations across art, science, and technology.
Lara Weaver
A place to meet
A spatial sound work exploring subterranean London as a network of movement, memory, and hidden connection, using field recordings and personal narrative to shape an immersive, site-responsive experience.
The project will experiment with motion and perspective through spherical loudspeaker arrays, pushing new approaches to 3D composition and embodied listening.
Biography
I am a composer, sound artist, and Doctor of Music. In December 2025, I was awarded my PhD from the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC) at Queen’s University Belfast. My thesis investigated the unusual sounds of two contrasting environments: the bubbling of Northern Irish peatlands and the ‘singing’ sand dunes of the Empty Quarter desert (Rub’ al-Khali, United Arab Emirates), by means of field recording and sound composition. Previously, I was at St John’s College, Cambridge, where I read for my undergraduate degree in Music, achieving a First, and MPhil in Composition, which was awarded with Distinction. As a composer, my output includes orchestral, choral, chamber music and song, electroacoustic music (often using my own field recordings), immersive audio and ambisonic works (including expertise working with the SARC Sonic Lab), and multi-channel gallery installations. I am currently working on a commission with the London Symphony Orchestra (resident at the Barbican) as a Helen Hamlyn Panufnik Composer (2026-2027). Other recent projects include works composed for the Crash Ensemble as a Crash Works Creator 2023-2025 (‘Singing Sands’, premiered at New Music Dublin 2025); and Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble (‘Soft Ground’, exploring the sounds of Irish boglands, premiered at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2024). I compose music for a wide variety of artists and ensembles, my music has received multiple broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, and my work has recently been released on Crash Records as part of their Crash Works II album.”
Artist Residency Commission – Sonic Spheres
Step inside a world of resonant architecture and immersive sound!
As part of Sonic Spheres, the SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre invite composers and sound artists to take part in an intensive Research & Development residency to create bold new works for 3 x IKO spherical loudspeakers and loudspeaker orchestra, culminating in a premiere performance in the Fireworks Factory at Woolwich Works on Saturday 9 May 2026.
During the residency, artists will develop their work within the fully immersive Bathway Theatre (featuring a 42.4 loudspeaker system + 3 x IKO spherical loudspeakers).
This residency is about exploration and experimentation. Artists will push the boundaries of 3D composition and performance using spherical loudspeaker arrays that transform space in a multitude of ways.
We will award 2 commissions.
What Selected Artists Receive:
- £1,000 commission fee
- Up to £500 expenses support (if required)
- Virtual IKO training session on 1 April 2026 led by Dr Emma Margetson
- Dedicated R&D period: 7-14 April 2026
- Full technical and artistic support throughout development
- Complimentary access to the Sonic Spheres conference programme
The residency combines structured training with open studio experimentation. Artists will explore the creative and technical possibilities of the IKO loudspeaker, developing research-led approaches to spatialisation, movement and sonic architecture for the Fireworks Factory.
Each artist will create a 10–15 minute composition / performance for 3 x IKOs + loudspeaker orchestra, to premiere on 9 May 2026 in the Fireworks Factory at Woolwich Works as part of the Sonic Spheres evening concert.
Who Can Apply?
Anyone can apply, whatever your personal or musical background.
We are committed to removing access barriers and strongly encourage applications from individuals currently underrepresented in electronic music and sound art.
Applicants must:
- For all enquiries, please contact: sound-image@greenwich.ac.uk
Be aged 18 years or over
- Have rights to work in the UK – You must complete right to work checks in accordance with the University’s UKVI Compliance Policy and Procedure (https://www.gre.ac.uk/docs/rep/people/uk-visas-and-immigration-ukvi-compliance-policy-and-procedure)
Rights
The SOUND/IMAGE Research Centre shall hold all rights in connection with the first public performance of the commissioned work. Thereafter, full rights revert to the composer.
How to Apply
Deadline for Expressions of Interest: 25 March 2026
Applicants will be notified by 27 March 2026 if selected.
To apply, please complete the application form: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=CvQWNelaVkm7qzlRYuWJznzRxbnBCPtLrmPaxMSoIq1UQ1lGMzZYTVpMMFpINTBJVDVOUTdBQkRFTS4u&route=shorturl
We are looking for bold ideas, thoughtful experimentation, and proposals that engage deeply with immersive sound practice.
For enquiries:
For all enquiries, please contact: sound-image@greenwich.ac.uk