SPEAKER TOWERS: Curator Bruce Philips invites audiences to experience an invigorating show. Times photo Bruce Nicholson

• Howick and Pakuranga Times

EUGENE Hansen’s latest creation immerses visitors to an art gallery in crashing waves of never-ending sound.

The inventive artist’s latest exhibition fills four galleries at Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts in Pakuranga and features a range of complex machinery.

The show, entitled RootMeanSquare, is all about exploring the “mediascape” through a sound installation that includes hand-built synthesisers and an array of speaker systems and graphic images.

One of Te Tuhi’s rooms is filled with large geometric-shaped wooden speakers, emitting strange electronically generated sounds. Another has four large wooden speaker stands positioned to confront the visitor from all directions, pumping noises such as rustling leaves and wind into the air.

Bruce Philips, Te Tuhi’s curator, says he would call Mr Hansen’s work a “hyper show”, as it’s designed to bombard the senses with sound and imagery.

“Our brains are constantly absorbing sound, but they filter it out,” he says. “We’re reminded of that when an annoying sound comes to the fore.

“An example is there is a lot of noise in the city, but we usually aren’t aware of it. If people listen to what’s going on then they will hear all sorts of things.”

The project, which is funded by Massey University, also includes a large wooden box housing an analogue synthesiser.

It resembles something a Dr Who fan would want to take home, and gives people at the exhibition a chance to push buttons, flick switches, and make their own sounds.

Once pressed, they make a large human face flash up onto the overhead projector screen covering half of one wall.

The one constant image being projected is of Godzilla walking through a street filled with miniature houses.

Mr Hansen collaborated with six other artists to create the project. They include the New York-based graphic designer known as Dr Kron, who created the many images of flies, skulls and other pop culture symbols filling the gallery’s walls.

“It’s a celebration of sound,” says Mr Hansen, who is based in Wellington.

“There are also plenty of knobs and switches for visitors to play with, so they can interact with the technology.”

Mr Philips says he hopes the exhibition will attract a wide audience.

“This is for anyone who is interested in music, pop culture, inventions, vintage speakers and hi-fi,” says the 30-year-old.

“It’s definitely the wildest show we’ve had for a long time.”

RootMeanSquare runs at Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts, 13 Reeves Road, Pakuranga, until January 29. Entry to the gallery is free.