Mat Ward is a musician, sound artist, instrument designer and researcher who works across a wide range of genres both in acousmatic and performance settings. His recent practice examines the physical and emotive properties of noise; pulling apart and re-arranging field recordings to investigate noise’s disruptive and cohesive elements and their relationship to human emotions and communication.
Locally and internationally he maintains a diverse collaborative practice with filmmakers, poets and musicians on projects that include free improvisation, post-classical composition and site specific response.
His research explores the origins of experimental music with a focus on early 20th Century artists, and in particular Luigi Russolo.
Over the last decade he been awarded numerous commissions and residencies, released 15 albums and had his acousmatic work played around the world on radio, in galleries and at festivals.
Recent Selected Performance and Exhibition History
2024 Conversazioni Difficili con il Mare AMACI Giornata del Contemporaneo, Italy
2024 Apologue Isle Contemporary Art Tasmania, Australia
2024 The Famous Never Sleep Whilst We Stare At Their Graves Cities and Memory Re-mix the World Festival, England
2024 Strumenti angelici e macchine infernali Art and Sound, Italy
2023 la plage était un vaste village dont il était l’idiot The Hibernation Project, Canada
2023 Discontinued Space 2 - The Cinema of Maya Deren Unconformity Festival, Australia
2023 Un gouffre d'incomprénshion (Sacré Cœur) Cities and Memory Re-mix the World Festival, United Kingdom
2023 Language Gap Jury Special Mention - 60 Seconds Radio Festival, Canada
2022 The Jabberwocky Grand Finalist - Phonurgia Nova Awards, France
2022 One Minute Jabberwocky 60 Seconds Radio Festival, Canada
2022 Against The Waves We Breathe MediSoup Listening Festival, Cyprus
2022 Organology Design Tasmania, Australia
2021(sound)Travels Helicotrema Festival Italy/Spain
2021 We lay in the grass, staring at the stars, holding hands with the machines Resilence Festival, Italy
2021 Discontinued Space: The Cinema of Maya Deren Rosny Arts Centre, Australia
2021 Dance Of The Deserted Spaces NYC Electronic Music Festival, USA
2021 The Smiling Madame Beudet MONA/FOMA,Australia
2021 Relay/Country Remembers Her Names MONA FOMA, Australia
2020 A Trip To The Moon Unconformity Festival, Australia
2020 La morte mi troverà vivo Contemporary Art Tasmania, Australia
2019 Airplay Hobart Cenotaph, Australia
2019 Sisters Akousmatica Moonah Arts Centre, Australia
2019 Joy As A Threat Proofspace,Australia
2019 Australian Ceramics Triennale Hobart Town Hall,Australia
2018 The Unforgetting of Mary K Percy Granger Museum,Australia
2018 Russolo’s Trail Various venues, Italy
2018 Invisible Factory 2 Visual Bulk,Australia
2018 Enharmonic Improvisation for Intonarumori and Voice MONA, Australia
2017 Invisible Factory 1 Moonah Arts Centre, Australia
2017 Small Black Box East Brisbane Bowls Club, Australia
2017 Man With A Movie Camera MONA FOMA, Australia
Selected Releases
2024 Mat Ward/Dani Kirby - Rat Palace Sessions
2023 Mat Ward/Mike Benoit - Reconfigured Combinations
2022 Then She Reaches For The Gun - The Vociferous Mapping Of Your Unlikely Future
2021 Mat Ward/Antonella Eye Porceluzzi - Carmelo Bene par Gilles Deleuzes
2021 Mat Ward/Marco Lucchi - We lay in the grass, staring at the stars, holding hands with the machines
2020 Mat Ward/Antonella Eye Porceluzzi - Comme la marée montait, nous demeurons assis
2020 Mat Ward - La morte mi troverà vivo
2019 Dani Kirby/Mat Ward - Joy As A Threat
2019 Juan A Miñana/Mat Ward - Voltage Dirt
2018 No Mates Ensemble - International Collaborations Vol 1
2017 Dani Kirby/Mat Ward - Dissolute
2017 Mat Ward - Riot:The Unbeatable High/A Place Where Loneliness Is Possible
2016 No Mates Ensemble - Despite The Squalor Everyone Had A Good Time
2015 Mat Ward - Kerosene Child; The Life of Neil Davis
2014 No Mates Ensemble - Timing The Kill
2013 No Mates Ensemble/Tanya Bosak - POAUW! The Noises of Luigi Russolo