Created in 1957 by former Tate Gallery Assistant Jim Ede and wife Helen, Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge was both their home and a space for the public to enjoy contemporary art in an informal, domestic setting. Almost 70 years on, when a spatial audio component was required for a new exhibition by Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska, specialist integrator ArtAV assisted in creating an environment that worked with the space rather than against it.
The house at Kettle’s Yard still displays a permanent collection of artworks and was extended in 1970 with an additional gallery which hosts a varied programme of modern and contemporary exhibitions. Between 12 July and 2 November 2025, a series of works by Himid and Stawarska straddled both spaces, with the artists’ Slightly Bitter installation carving out its own space in Gallery Two.
Taking inspiration from written correspondence between Polish writer Sophie Gaudier-Brzeska and English artist Nina Hamnett in the early C20, the multimedia presentation includes excerpts from these letters in a sound piece recorded by both artists, accompanying text on the artworks to create a sense of eavesdropping on conversations between both Hamnett and Brzeska, as well as between Himid and Stawarska.
With no pre-existing audio infrastructure in the gallery and a desire to create the most immersive experience for visitors, ArtAV’s mission was to design an environment sympathetic to the needs of both the house and the artwork. As the latest project in a longstanding relationship, it is not the first time the company has breathed sonic resonance into Himid and Stawarska’s work.
‘The primary purpose of the audio system was to provide a high-quality, four-channel spatial audio experience to complement the visual artwork,’ says ArtAV Sound Tech, Kyle Partridge. ‘Having worked with both artists on previous exhibitions, we already had a deep understanding of their specific A/V requirements, from system design through to pre-production and installation. It allows us to design a bespoke approach for each project and ensure that any design is perfectly tailored to the unique artistic goals of the exhibition.’
In order to meet those artistic goals at Kettle’s Yard, ArtAV faced various challenges. The lack of any existing facilities meant that the installation had to be designed from scratch to achieve the levels of intimacy required for the exhibit, while simultaneously maintaining the gallery’s minimalist aesthetic and facilitating re-installation for future exhibitions. In addition, reflections from the gallery’s hard, untreated walls required considerable acoustic control, and the artists also needed to be able to adjust the audio once the system was in place.
Working with Audiologic, ArtAV sourced four Genelec 4420 compact monitors, taking advantage of their PoE connectivity to minimise cable runs and preserve the gallery’s clean lines, as well as the company’s range of 120 RAL colours.
‘Kettle’s Yard has a reputation for its carefully curated, minimalist aesthetic, so it was critical for us to avoid any visible cabling which would divert attention from the surrounding artwork,’ says Partridge. ‘In addition, because the playback system had to be installed in the same room as the artwork, it had to have a small footprint and be extremely quiet so as not to distract from the audio content. The Genelec 4420 Smart IP speakers met these challenges in an extremely compact footprint and were an ideal solution.
‘Genelec’s active circuitry is perfect as it requires no external amplification or noisy fans, and by combining Dante audio and power over a single Cat5 cable we were able to not only drastically reduce cable runs to simplify installation but ensure that we kept everything very neat and very discreet. Meanwhile, the 4420’s built-in DSP functions gave us the ability to precisely tune the loudspeakers to the room; this was essential to reduce the unwanted frequencies created by reflections and ensure the audio remained clear and faithful to the artists’ original recordings.
This proved essential when Stawarska needed to make subtle adjustments to the balance and dynamic range of the piece after listening to it in situ: ‘Thanks to Genelec’s Dante connectivity it was remarkably simple to do, and by connecting to the system with a single network cable, Magda was able to quickly and easily adjust the audio levels of specific sections to ensure the final mix was perfectly balanced to the space,’ Partridge says.
As well as creating an integrated presentation, Genelec’s ability to colour-match the monitors delivered a presentation that was just as integrated from a visual perspective, adopting a custom Zinc Yellow RAL colour to each 4420 monitor to compliment the artwork’s palette rather than distract from it.
In fact, according to the artist this aspect of the installation actually played to the exhibition’s strengths: ‘From my conversations with audiences, I got the feedback that alongside the quality of sound they enjoyed how the yellow of the speakers became a visual part of the installation,’ Stawarska says. ‘It became evident that although we were exploring the complexities of correspondence, dialogue, language and identity, we were playful with the visual component.’
Stawarska and the ArtAV team both had previous experience with Genelec, but Partridge says the process of getting them custom coloured for this one-off installation couldn’t have been easier. ‘The support from Audiologic was exceptional, making the process of ordering the custom RAL-coloured speakers straightforward and ensuring a seamless commissioning process,’ he says. ‘Rob Davies from Audiologic was extremely helpful throughout every stage of the project. This level of support was a key factor in the project’s success.’