EMMA KATE MATTHEWS
Architect, Artist, Composer, Musician, Researcher
"Spare and intense, ... this music is more about timbre and texture than pitch" - Robert Hugill 2021
Emma-Kate (b. 1986) is an architect, composer, musician, and digital artist. Her work explores creative intersections between sonic and spatial practices through the production of site-specific and spatialised audio-visual projects. In addition to composing on the London Symphony Orchestra’s Panufnik scheme, her work has been performed internationally at high-profile venues including the Sagrada Familia, the Southbank Centre, the Barbican and Brighton Festival. She has released solo electronic-classical works on labels including Algebra, NMC, Musicity Global and Accidental Records. In addition to making music, she designs and makes her own instruments which she calls ‘resonant bodies’ using digital modelling and manufacturing techniques. In 2022 this project was nominated for the Lumen prize and the Aesthetica art prize and was also exhibited at the 2022 Works+Words biennale in Copenhagen. In 2022 and 2023, Emma-Kate’s work was ‘highly commended’ in categories for the ‘Sound of the Year Awards’. She hosts an eclectic radio show on RTM.FM called Hunter Gatherer. She is also a senior lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, where she serves as the Director of Fabrication and Design Exchange. She is also a tutor for the MArch Design for Performance and Interaction and MSci Masters in Architecture courses, and she conducts research into interdisciplinary and experimental architectural practices. She is also working on a large-scale publication for Routledge, due for release in November 2024.
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[MUSICAL RELEASES]
Aug 2024 'Perfect Cyan Bright Square' - single release (composer, performer, vocals, drums, bass, electronics) for 'antechamber music 3' on Accidental LINK
Nov 2023 'Raindrop Counter' - single release (composer) for Sounds of the Earth - released on Island Farm Studio Records LINK
Jan 2023 'Polar Sounds' - (composer) Polar sounds for ‘Cities + Memory’ LINK
Dec 2022 'Cloth Wind in Wall' - (composer) commissioned and released by Royal Academy of Music for ‘RAM 200 Pieces’ LINK
Jun 2022 'Instead of Points' - (composer) re-released as part of NMC records’ ‘The Great Lockdown Survey’ LINK
Oct 2021 'Far Flung Remixes' - remix album (composer) - released on Algebra records LINK
Jul 2021 'Six Degrees of Separation' - compilation featuring mixed ensemble piece 'Remote Overlap' (composer) - NMC records LINK
Nov 2020 'Far Flung EP' - solo album release: (composer, performer, vocals, drums, bass, electronics, piano) LINK
Oct 2020 'More Colours Remix' – remix for Rob Shields: (composer, performer) - released on Algebra records LINK
Aug 2020 'Twenty - Music for Piano' compilation featuring solo Piano piece 'Instead of Points' compilation (composer) LINK
Mar 2020 'Pressed, Pressing' – solo EP release: (composer, performer, vocals, drums, bass, electronics, piano) LINK
May 2019 'Similis' – solo track release: (composer, performer, clarinet, drums, bass, electronics, ) released by Musicity Global LINK
Aug 2018 'East of the Active' – EP release as DIAS: (experimental music collaboration) – released on Algebra Records LINK
Dec 2015 'Pt.1 (6:1) + 6:2' – solo album release: (composer, performer, vocals, drums, bass, electronics, piano) LINK
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[SELECTED PERFORMANCES]
March 15th 2024 ‘After Image’ - at LSO Soundhub Showcase (composer) LSO St Luke’s, London
May 14th-27th -2022 'Drift' - at Witness Stand for Brighton Festival (composer / performer) Shoreham-by-Sea
Mar 31st 2022 'A Study of Passing Objects' World Premiere - at London Symphony Orchestra Panufnik Scheme, (composer) LSO St Lukes/Barbican
Jun 24th 2021 'Cloth Wall In Wind' World Premiere - at Royal Academy of Music 200 pieces (composer), David Josefowitz Recital Hall, London
Feb 15th 2020 'Construction 003 - V3' – at Soundhub Showcase, by the London Symphony Orchestra (composer), LSO St Luke's, London
Dec 19th 2019 'Modest Proposals' - at JEMP experimental music festival (performing bass for Ben McDonnell), Swiss Church, London
May 19th 2019 'Construction 005' – at Sound Unbound Festival (composer), for Musicity Global, Barbican Centre, London
Mar 20th 2019 'Construction 004' – at Getting it Right Conference (composer) for Guildhall School of Music, London
Jan 24th 2019 'Construction 003 - V2' – at Gala Concert (composer) for London City Orchestra at Southbank Centre, London
Sep 22nd 2018 - 'Construction 003 - V1' - (performer) 'New Music for New Audiences' Conference at Leicester De Montfort Uni.
Aug 02nd 2018 'DIAS: East of the Active' – at EP launch event (composer, musician) at DIY Space, London
Dec 16th 2017 'Construction 002' – at Private concert (composer, researcher) with Aus Research Council, Sagrada Familia, Barcelona
Dec 07th 2017 'Construction 002' – at Time Making Space Event (organiser, composer, exhibitor, respondent) Royal Academy of Arts
Sep 13th 2017 'Construction 001' – at Site-specific performance (composer) for London Graduate Orchestra, Shoreditch Church
Jun 24th 2017 'Construction 000 - Dorsal Falls' – at Edge to Edge Festival (organiser, composer, presenter) Shoreditch Church, London
Dec 16th 2016 'Rise' – at Building opening (composer) for 5-piece student choral group, 22 Gordon Street, UCL, London
Jan 29th 2015 'Plexus Open Field' – at Plexus Experimental (performer:electronics, composer) Hampstead Road, London
Jun 27th 2015 'Station to Station' – at Boredoms Concert (performer:drums) Barbican Concert Hall, London
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[PUBLICATIONS & FEATURES]
DUE *Nov 29th 2024. ‘Spatiosonic Dialogues: Exploring Architecture’s Role in Music Composition and Performance.’ In The Routledge Companion to the Sound of Space, edited by E-K.Matthews, M.Burry, J. Burry. Routledge LINK
DUE *Nov 29th 2024. ‘Introduction’ and ‘Music and Sound Art’ In The Routledge Companion to the Sound of Space, edited by E-K.Matthews, M.Burry, J. Burry. Routledge LINK
DUE *Nov 2024. ‘Spatiosonic Cut-Ups: Montage as a Compositional Process.’ In Drawing Research Theory Practice 10, no. 1, edited by Ben McDonnell. Intellect Books LINK
DUE *Jan 2025. ‘Resonance Is...’ In Works+Words, edited by Peter Bertram. Copenhagen: AADR - Art Architecture Design Research LINK
Mar 2023 - 'EP#82: {S04 Finale Special} Binaural Sea Ice at UCL’s Bartlett School of Architecture' - podcast for Girls Twiddling Knobs (Project: Polar Sounds) LINK
Jun 2022 - 'Future Now' - Aesthetica Art Magazine LINK
Mar 2022 - 'Emma-Kate Matthews Unlocks The Architecture of Music' - London Symphony Orchestra Blog LINK
Mar 2022 - 'Meet the Composers' - London Symphony Orchestra blog LINK
Mar 2022 - 'Natural language modelled and printed in 3D: A multi-disciplinary approach' - Nature HSSCOMMS - joint 1st auth. Dr. A.Pillen LINK
Feb 2022 - 'Prxludes interview' - Prxludes magazine LINK
Aug 2021 - 'Emma Kate Matthews - Artist Interview Lumen Prize 2021' - Interview for Lumen Prize LINK
Jul 2021 - 'Remote Overlap: Sound and Space' - NMC records discover article LINK
Nov 2019 'Activating Audiences: How Spatial Music Can Help Us To Listen' – Cambridge Uni. Press,Organised Sound Journal LINK
May 2019 'Construction 005: Similis' – for the Musicity Global, Culture Mile London and the Barbican Centre LINK
May 2019 'Exploring Emma-Kate Matthews’s cross-disciplinary creative practice' - CLOT magazine, feature by Adriana Ciotau LINK
Mar 2018 'Female Composers, International Women’s Day' – Interview with British Music Collection LINK
Jun 2018 'The Art of Window Design and Display: Feature on RSW Grace project' – Published by Sandu (Project: Grace) LINK
Jan 2018 'Window Display – Grace' – published by KONSEPT PROJELER, Istanbul (Project: Grace) LINK
Sep 2017 'Farewell Cassini' - Interview for Monocle Magazine (Project: Cassini) LINK
Jun 2017 'British Music Collection – Emma-Kate Matthews on Architectural Influences' LINK
Jun 2017 'The Architectural Instrumentalist' – Design Ecologies Journal, published by Intellect Books: (Project: The Spatialised Score) LINK
Oct 2014 'Educating Architects' – Neil Spiller – Thames & Hudson Ltd: (Project: The Augmented Instrumentalist) LINK
Sep 2014 'London Design Festival 2014' – Dezeen: (Project: Grace) LINK
Jul 2012 'Royal Academy Awards:Celebrating 30 years'-The Architects’ Journal: (Project: The Augmented Instrumentalist) LINK
Jul 2012 'Pews and Perches' Wallpaper* Magazine: (Project: The Whistling Stop) LINK
Jun 2012 'StripHouse' SuckerPUNCH Magazine: (Project: StripHouse) LINK
Mar 2012 'Higher Integration in Morphogenetic Design:AD' Achim Menges John Wiley & Sons(The Augmented Instrumentalist) LINK
Jun 2010 + Jun 2011 'Bartlett School of Architecture Summer Catalogue' UCL: (Project: MArch) LINK
Jun 2008 'Treptow Crematorium: Bursary Article' SCALA Journal: (Project: Travel Bursary Building Analysis) (Pp 31-33) LINK
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[EXHIBITIONS + INSTALLATIONS]
*APR-JUN 2025 - Sound and Silence - An Exhibition of Contemporary Bells, at Make SouthWest, Devon (Project: Resonant Bodies)
Nov 2022 - Works + Words, at the Royal Danish Academy, Copenhagen (Project: Resonant Bodies)
Oct 2022 - Sonic Cartography: Soundscape, Simulation and Re-enactment, at Chatham Dockyard, Kent (Project: Drift)
Jun-Aug 2022 - Canary Wharf Summer Lights Festival, at Canary Wharf (Project: Kaleidozones, collaboration with Martin Richman)
Jun-Sep 2022 - Aesthetica Art Prize, at York Art Gallery (Project: Far Flung AV)
Apr 2019 - Research as Art / Art as Research, at UCL (Project: PhD)
Feb-Mar 2019 - In Permanent Readiness for the Marvellous, at The Bartlett, UCL (Project: PhD)
Apr 2018 - Research as Art / Art as Research, at UCL (Project: PhD)
Dec 2017 - Time Making Space, at The Royal Academy of Arts, London (Project:The Spatial Instrumentalist/Construction 002)
Dec 2017 - Graphic Scores, at the British Music Collection (Project: Construction 001)
Jun-Sep 2017 - Harley Open, at Harley Gallery, Nottingham (Project: Dorsal Falls)
Jun 2017 - Edge to Edge, at St Leonard's, London (Project: Dorsal Falls)
Jun-Aug 2016 - Summer Exhibition, at The Royal Academy of Arts, London (Project: Sketch For a Spatialised Score)
Nov 2014 - Stars on Canvas, at The Willow Foundation (Project: Grace)
Jun-Aug 2013 - Summer Exhibition, at The Royal Academy of Arts, London (Project: The Big Egg, for Wilkinson Eyre Architects)
Oct-Nov 2012 - Open Exhibition, at The Royal Institute of British Architects, London, (Project: The Split Studio)
Jun-Aug 2012 - Summer Exhibition, at The Royal Academy of Arts (Project: The Augmented Instrumentalist)
Mar 2012 - The Big Egg Hunt, at Canary Wharf, London (Project: The Big Egg, for Wilkinson Eyre Architects)
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[AWARDS]
May 2023 Sound of the Year Awards, Category: Composed with Sound (Project: Polar Sounds): HIGHLY COMMENDED by the Sound of the Year Awards
Jan 2022 Aesthetica Art Prize (project: Resonant Bodies): NOMINATED by Aesthetica Art Prize
May 2022 Sound of the Year Awards, Category: Most unpleasant sound: HIGHLY COMMENDED by the Sound of the Year Awards
July 2021 Lumen Prize for Art + Technology, Moving Image Category (Project: Dreams Again): NOMINATED by the Lumen Prize
Mar 2020 Panufnik Composers’ Residency (Project: A Study of Passing Objects in an Accellerating Landscape): AWARDED by the London Symphony Orchestra
May 2017 New Voices Portfolio Residency with the London Graduate Orchestra (Project: Construction 001): AWARDED by Sound and Music
Mar 2014 Regent Street Windows (Project: Grace, for Karen Millen): AWARDED by the Royal Institute of British Architects
Jan 2013 Groucho Club: Make a Stand Bike Rack (Project: Ribbon Rack): AWARDED by the London Festival of Architecture
Mar 2012 Pews and Perches Bench Design and Fabrication (Project: the Whistling stop): AWARDED by Royal Institute of British Architects
Aug 2012 Graduate Engineer’s Competition, Shortlisted (Project: Castlemeads Bridge, with Buro Happold): AWARDED by Institute of Structural Engineers
Jul 2011 Dean’s list for ‘students achieving distinction in design and thesis’ (The Augmented Instrumentalist): AWARDED by University College London
Jul 2007 Student Travel Bursary (Project: Brixton Railside CPUL): AWARDED by SCALA (now SPACES)
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[INVITED TALKS + CONFERENCES]
DUE* 17th Oct 2024-'Sound and Heritage' (presenter) 'Historical and Sustainable Architecture', at the New York University
DUE* 26th Sep 2024 ‘Spatiosonic Dialogues: Exploring Architecture's Role in Music Composition and Performance’ (presenter) 'Tetratech, international acoustics series', at Hore Lea Engineers, London
23rd March - ‘Resonance is’ – (presenter) 'Research Skills Intercollegiate Network (ReSKiN) Conference', at the Courtauld Institute of Art, London
5th Oct 2023 - 'Architecture and the Ear' - (presenter/performer) 'Sounds of the Earth', at Solus Ceramics, London
22nd Sep 2023 - 'Resonant Bodies' - (presenter/exhibitor) 'Createch 2023 Conference', at Uni. Westminster, London
15th Jun 2023 - 'Conversations at the edge of the world' - (performer/presenter) 'Everyday is Spatial Conference', at Uni. Gloucester
5th April 2022 - 'Opera in Edwardian Baths' - (presenter/organiser) 'SMS doctoral network', at UCL Here East, London
23rd Apr 2021 - 'Composing for Extreme Spaces' - (presenter) 'World Wide Music Conference', at Prague WWMC, Czech Republic
8th Sep 2020 - 'Spatial Typologies' - (presenter/performer) 'Royal Music Association 56th Annual Conference', at Goldsmiths Uni. London
28th Feb 2019 - 'Spatial Typologies in Music Composition + Henry Brant' - (presenter) "Research Seminar Series', at the Royal Academy of Music, London
11th Dec 2019 - 'Composing for The Sagrada Familia' - (organiser/presenter/respondent) 'Sound Of Space, International Symposium', at UCL Here East, London
29th Nov 2019 - 'Spatiosonic Constructs' - (presenter) 'Research Seminar Series', at the Royal Academy of Music, London
05th Oct 2019 - 'Calibrating Spatial Typologies' - (presenter) 'Spatiality and Music Conference', at the Uni. of Arts, Belgrade, Serbia
15th Jul 2019 - 'Simulation + Sonic Realities' - (respondent/organiser/presenter) 'SMS doctoral network', at Max Fordham Engineering, London
19th May 2019 - 'Sound Unbound'- (performer/presenter) 'Culture Mile x Barbican Festival' at the Barbican Centre, London
20th Mar 2019 - 'Implied Rhythms' - (performer) 'Getting it Right? New Music/New Technologies Conference', at the Guildhall School of Music, London
18th Feb 2019 - 'Spatiosonic Constructs' - (presenter) 'Research Conference', at the Bartlett, UCL, London
19th May 2019 - 'Similis' (performer/presenter) for Musicity, Culture Mile London and the Barbican Centre, London
24th Jan 2019 - 'Construction 003 - Regional/Axial' - (presenter) pre-performance talk at the Southbank Centre, London
22nd Sep 2018 - 'Activating Audiences'- (presenter/performer) 'Bringing New Music to New Audiences International Conference', at De Montfort Uni, Leicester
27th Mar 2018 - 'Sound Space Pecha Kucha' - (organiser/presenter) 'SMS doctoral network', at the Bartlett, UCL, London
15th Feb 2018 - 'Keeping Time' - (organiser/respondent) 'SMS doctoral network with Asaf Sirkis + Kemal Yusuf', at the Bartlett, UCL, London
07th Dec 2017 - 'Construction 002' - (organiser/exhibitor/respondent) 'Time Making Space', at the Royal Academy of Arts, London
24th Jun 2017 - 'Edge to Edge' - (organiser/presenter/composer) 'Festival of music and movement', St Leonard's, London
14th Jun 2017 - 'Generation to Fabrication' - (presenter) 'Rhino UGM Conference', London
20th Apr 2016 - 'Simulation to Fabrication' - (presenter) 'Shape to Fabrication Conference', Stratford, London
08th Dec 2015 - 'Stop:Frame' – (presenter) 'lunchtime lecture series', at the Bartlett, UCL, London
26th Feb 2015 - 'Plexus Open Field' - (performer/presenter) 'Open Field, Plexus', at the Bartlett, UCL, London
19th Feb 2015 - 'Think, Draw, Make' - (presenter) 'Digital manufacturing and engineering-led design', at uni. Canterbury
16th Sep 2014 - 'Grace: Regent Street Windows' - (presenter) 'RIBA Pecha Kucha', at Apple Store Regent Street, London
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[EMPLOYMENT]
Sep 2015-Present - The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL - [Senior Lecturer (research)] - summary of roles:
*2023-Present: Director of Fabrication & Design Collaboration, Design Tutor on MSci Architecture (Studio 3B) & MArch Design For Performance and Interaction (Pathway 3)
*2022-2023: MEng Design practice 2 coordinator, Design tutor on MArch Architecture (PG unit 25) & Design tutor and Admissions Coordinator for MArch Design For Performance and Interaction (Pathway 3)
*2019-2020: Design tutor on MArch Architecture (PG unit 25) & MArch Design For Performance and Interaction (Pathway 3) & MEng Architecture (Year 1)
*2018-2019: Design tutor on MArch Architecture (PG unit 25) & MArch Design For Performance and Interaction (Pathway 3) & MArch Design for Manufacture, UCAS admissions interviewer
*2017-2018: Design tutor on MArch Architecture (PG unit 25) & BSc Architecture (Year 1), UCAS admissions interviewer
*2015-2017: Design tutor on MArch Architecture (PG unit 25) & BSc Architecture (Year 1) & BSc Architecture and Iinterdisciplinary Studies
Jul 2023-Present - Price & Myers Geometrics Group [Freelance for Remote Studio]
Sep 2012-Present - EKM Works (London) - [Founder, Architect, Musician, Artist, Composer, Researcher]
Sep 2019-Sep 2022 - Oxford Brookes University - [Associate Lecturer, Unit J Lead Tutor]
Sep 2016-Sep 2022 - Weber Industries (London) - [Architect, Senior Designer, Fabricator]
*Notable projects: 'Archive mounts' for the Southbank Centre / 'Old Church Street Extension' / 'Dulwich Pavilion' for IF_DO / 'Exploded Sphere Privacy Screens' for Deutsche Bank / 'Phylis' for Holly Hendry
Sep 2013-Aug 2016 - Geometrics Group at Price & Myers (London) - [Architect]
*Notable projects: 'Hatch' for Martin Richman, Grand Union Studios / 'Vertical Shell' for Future City, Southbank Tower / 'Wind Sculpture (SG) I' for Yinka Shonibare, New York
Sep 2014-Aug 2015 - University of Greenwich - [Visiting Critic, Unit 7]
Nov 2014-Aug 2015 - University of Kent - [Technical Tutor for Masters Architecture, Unit 4]
Sep 2008-Sep 2013 - Wilkinson Eyre Architects (London) - [Architectural Assistant]
*Notable projects: 'The Crystal' London, UK / 'Johnson Street Bridge' Victoria, Canada / Battersea Power Station competition entry, London, UK
Dec 2011-Feb 2012 - Sixteen*(Makers) (London) - [Freelance Production Assistant for '55/02']
Jun 2007-Sep 2007 - Marsh:Grochowski Architects (Nottingham) - [Architectural Assistant]
Jun 2006-Sep 2006 - Groundworks Architects (Nottingham) - [Architectural Assistant]
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[EDUCATION]
Sep 2017 - Sep 2025 - MPhil/PhD Architecture: In progress: The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (TBC)
Feb 2013 - Oct 2013 - RIBA Part 3, Examination in Professional Practice: London Metropolitan University (Merit)
Sep 2009 - Jun 2011 - RIBA Part 2, DipArch & MArch The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (Distinction)
Aug 2005 - Jun 2008 - RIBA PArt 1, BArch: The University of Nottingham (First Class (with Honours))
Aug 2004 - Jun 2005 - Art Foundation Degree: Nottingham College (Distinction)
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[MEMBERSHIPS]
Oct 2017 - Present - London Symphony Orchestra Soundhub - (Associate Member + Panufnik Composer 2020/2022)
Jun 2017 - Present - Sound|Making|Space Doctoral Network - (Coordinator, Researcher, Respondent, Presenter)
Oct 2013 - Present - Chartered Architect at the Royal Institute of British Architects
Oct 2013 - Present - Architect with the Architects’ Registration Board
Jun 2017 - Sep 2017 - London Graduate Orchestra, portfolio residency with “Sound and Music” - (Composer in Residence)
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[MEDIA LINKS]
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3781-7500
http://britishmusiccollection.org.uk/composer/emma-kate-matthews
http://soundcloud.com/ekmworks