# Ambisonic Commissions 2026-2027 – Call for proposals

Proposals are invited from Australian sonic artists of all kinds for Ambisonic Commissions 2026-2027, organised by Ben Byrne and supported by Creative Australia.

We will commission four works investigating the possibilities for spatial sound creation that engages deeply with multispecies and material realities using ambisonics, including two from this open call.

Ambisonics is an open standard for spatial sound that has been popularised in connection with the proliferation of 360 video, virtual reality, video games, and other emerging media.

The format allows both the recording and composition in software of virtual 360-degree spheres of sound, which can then be decoded for any speaker or headphone setup.

This provides fertile ground for experimentation and innovative practice from artists, particularly in engaging sonic ecologies.

The commissions will seed ambitious contemporary work using ambisonics with a variety of digital media and staging formats, grounded in respect for Indigenous people and knowledges, and deep, rousing engagement with the Country of this continent.

Artists will be supported to create works in formats appropriate to their practices and interests, from sonic compositions to immersive audiovisual pieces and interactive works using games engines.

All works will be presented both in person and online.

Facilities and further support for this project are provided by the RMIT University School of Design’s Digital Design discipline and DSP research group, along with Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS).

# What we provide

• Access to an ambisonic microphone and the RMIT Black Box space in Naarm/Melbourne, with a 24.2 ambisonic speaker system and 3 x 4K projectors for composition and a launch presentation for each work
• Support for one interstate artist in participating if successful in their proposal, in which case we would cover travel and accommodation for two trips to Melbourne, for composition and presentation respectively
• Access to the MESS facility and instruments
• Consultation and collaboration with Access Lab and Library (ALL)
• Online presentation of all works as part of a bespoke website, designed by Paul Mylecharane in conversation with all artists involved
• Curatorial and production support from organiser Ben Byrne, with consultation from Darrin Verhagen and Lawrence Harvey
• AU$7500 fee for each work (to be split if artists propose to create a work together)

# What’s expected of contributing artists

• Creation, production, and delivery of a new ambisonic work by July 2027 in a format of your choice – time-based composition, interactive installation, virtual environment, etc
• Enthusiastic engagement with organisers, other artists, and collaborators

# How to propose a work

• Email byrne@rmit.edu.au by 11:59pm Tuesday September 29, 2026 in your time zone with a proposal of up to 200 words, plus a CV and links to up to 10 minutes of your existing sonic work

# How proposals will be assessed

• Proposals will be assessed based on their articulation of a creative and viable use of the affordances of ambisonics to produce spatial sonic art that engages listeners with the vibrancy of multispecies and material realities

# The process from here

• Interested artists submit proposals
• Two proposals will be selected by organiser Ben Byrne and all who have submitted contacted promptly after the call closes
• Commissioned artists will be contracted, retaining all rights to their work and granting a perpetual, non-exclusive licence to present the work
• Creation and production will take place from October 2026 to July 2027
• All commissions will be launched with events in the RMIT Black Box in Q3 2027
• A bespoke website presenting the works will be designed and published online by the end of 2027

# Contact for all queries

ben.byrne@rmit.edu.au