About

Emmett addresses both destructive and redemptive themes in society today. His work reveals multi-layered references to the continual study of the Isenheim Altarpiece, the Martyrdom of St Sebastian and the Apocalypse of John. Emmett is an architect and artist drawing upon intermedia disciplines spanning video, sound, photogrammetry and digital technologies. His projects include immersive installations, large scale public realm AV events, electronic soundscapes, mixed media prints and drawings.

Emmett holds a Doctorship in situated cognition, and awarded the Gardener Theobald Scholarship at the Architectural Association (London) and the Sir Henry Herbert Bartlett Award at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Studied fine art at Central St Martins and in 2007 researched space music with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Kürten.

In 2016 Emmett performed Sender/Receiver at the opening of the Blavatnik Building, Tate Modern and his collaborations include Kraftwerk co-founder Eberhard Kranemann, Node electronics composer Dave Bessell, Candoco Dance Company founder Adam Benjamin, cyberspace architect Neil Spiller and theorist Charles Jencks.

Get in touch: me@mathewemmett.com

Qualifications

2013 Doctor of Philosophy.
2007 Karlheinz Stockhausen ‘Interpretation and Composition’ Master Class, Kürten, Germany.
2002 RIBA Chartered Architect.
1998–2000 Architectural Association, Gardiner Theobald Scholarship, AADipl.
1993–1996 BSc Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, Sir Henry Herbert Bartlett Award.
1992–1993 Central Saint Martins, London.

Exhibitions/Performance/Installations

2023 **Upcoming**: The Albatross, in A Hard Rain’s A – Gonna Fall, Jamestown Arts Center, Rhode Island, USA.

2022 ST SEBASTIAN: PLAGUE MEMORY, AV installation, Museo dell’arte Classica, Rome.

2022 REIMAGINED CINEMA, Façade projection, La Notte dei Musei, Museo dell’arte Classica, Rome.

2020 SHAME/ Mars & Beyond, Video and sound performance, Oxo Tower Wharf, Bargehouse, London.

2019 MUTATED HEADS/C.A.R (Contemporary Art Ruhr), Germany/Exhibition and Video/Sequence 5 – CHARLES DARWIN in collaboration with Eberhard Kranemann/Courtesy Weithorn Galerie.

2018 CHARLES DARWIN/The Atlantic Project/Audiovisual Performance with Eberhard Kranemann/The Millenium Building.

2018 SPACE INTERFACE III/The Atlantic Project/360 Video and Sound with Eberhard Kranemann/Immersive Vision Theatre/University of Plymouth.

2018 DOUBLE SKIN/Lauren Baker Gallery, Covent Garden, London. Audiovisual Performance with Kinetica for The Invisible Realm.

2018 DOUBLE SKIN/PARA_ARCHITECTURE/Audiovisual Performance/4th International Online Congress NHM New Human Media/Anilla Cultural Latinoamérica-Europa/Uruguay.

2016 SPACE INTERFACE II/KARST Gallery/Plymouth/UK/Exhibition and Audiovisual Art Performance with Eberhard Kranemann. Courtesy Weithorn Galerie.

2016 SPACE INTERFACE II/i-DAT – Emmett/Kranemann/Philips/Christison – 360 Immersive Performance/The Immersive Vision Theatre (IVT), Plymouth/UK/Courtesy Weithorn Galerie.

2016 THIS IS WHERE WE ARE/Tate Modern, London in collaboration with i-DAT for the opening of The Blavatnik Building.

2016 SENDER/RECEIVER/Tate Modern, London/The Blavatnik Building/Interactive Sound Performance.

2016 PULSATING HENNIG BRAND’S CONDENSATE/Lichtturm Solingen, Düsseldorf/ Dinnebier Licht GmbH/Signal Transduction – Video Sound Art Performance in collaboration with Eberhard Kranemann.

2016 THE BIRTH OF MEMORY/The Place, London/Soundscape Composition for choreographer Adam Benjamin (co-founder of Candoco) and EXIM Dance Company. Toured internationally: Moscow, South Korea and Mexico.

2015 MIRROR BLUR/PLYMOUTH CITY MUSEUM/Soundscape alongside Gerhard Richter ARTIST ROOMS/Tate/The National Galleries of Scotland and Anthony D’Offay.

2015 SPACE INTERFACE/Weithorn Galerie, Düsseldorf/Exhibition and New Media Art performance in collaboration with Eberhard Kranemann.

2015 OPEN STATE/Tokyo Art Centre, Japan/Soundscape Composition for Contemporary Dance Collaboration with choreographer Adam Benjamin. Art & Culture Promotion Fund, Arts Council Tokyo & The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation.

2013 ASYNCHRONOUS PERCEPTION/Installation/Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Switzerland, with DAAD Funding.

2012 180 DEGREES OF TRAUMA/Installation/Bundeswehrkrankenhaus, Detmold, Germany, with DAAD Funding.

2011 THE ILLEGAL ARCHITECT/Film Score Composition/Directed by Igea Troiani with Carytid Films.

2011 OVERLAID REALITIES/Cybernetic Installation/Peninsula Arts in association with Plymouth City Museum.

2010 VECTION BUILDER/ARTIST RESIDENCY/Roman Baths, Bath/Cybernetic Performance.

2010 ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS LONDON/ARCHITECURE SUMMER SHOW.

2009 THE LONDON GROUP/Menier Gallery, London/Exhibition.

2007 THE LONDON GROUP/Menier Gallery, London/Exhibition.

2007 ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS LONDON/ARCHITECURE SUMMER SHOW.

2005 ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS LONDON/ARCHITECURE SUMMER SHOW.

2004 ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS LONDON/ARCHITECURE SUMMER SHOW.

2004 JURASSIC CHALLENGE/WORLD HERITAGE COMMISSION/UK/Exhibition/Arts Council funding.

2001 HYPERACTIVE/The Year of the Artist Residency/Prema Arts Centre, Uley/Arts Council funding.

2000 SPACE IN SOUND/ARCHITECTURAL ASSOCIATION, LONDON/Sound performance.

1996 PIROUETTING MOSQUITO NETS/INSTALLATION/Kerala, India.

Publications

Emmett. M. 2023. (in press) ‘Psychoactive Space: Glimpses of the Unknown’ in Murray, S (ed) Towards a Transdisciplinary Practice, Design Ecologies 12. Intellect Ltd.
Emmett. M. 2023. (in press) ‘Neo-Fluxus: Multimedia Performance Art and Architecture’ in Spiller, N (ed) AD A Sublime Synthesis: Architecture and Art. Wiley.
Emmett. M. 2022. Curator interview: https://curator.guide/mathew-emmett
Emmett. M. 2021. ‘Multi-Dimensional Architecture’ in Troiani, I. & Ewing, S. (eds) Audio-visual devices: Redefining Architectural Scholarship through Visual Methodologies,. Intellect Ltd. ISBN 9781789381863
Emmett, M. (2018). Book chapter “Event Spaces of Infinite Perspective” in Digital Echoes: Spaces for Intangible and Performance-based Cultural Heritage, Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Emmett, M. (in press). Book chapter “Multi-Dimensional Architecture: Audio-visual devices” in Redefining Architectural Scholarship through Visual Methodologies, Intellect Ltd.
Emmett, M. (2014). ‘Pathological Space: Trauma and the matrix of cognition’. In: Nickl-Weller, C. and Matthys. S. ed. Health Care der Zukunft 5. Medizinisch Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft.
Emmett, M., Littlefield, D. (2013). Perception of Space in Architecture and Culture: Study of Industrial Ruins, pp. 100–107 and pp. 176–193.
Emmett, M. (2013). Felt_space infrastructure: hyper vigilant spatiality to valence the visceral dimension. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Thesis. Plymouth University.
Emmett, M. (2011). ‘Bunker auscultation: A classification system for a proto-method of sensory space composition’, Design Ecologies, 1(2), pp. 287–303.
Jencks, C., (2011). The Universe in the Landscape: Landforms by Charles Jencks. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd.
Zupancic, T., Juvancic, M., Verovsek, S. and Jutraz, A., eds. (2011). ‘Respecting Fragile Places’, Tadeja. eCAADe, pp. 261–268.
Hemmerling, M., ed. (2011). ‘Body Purge’, Augmented Reality: Mensch, Raum und Virtualitat. Germany: Fink Wilhelm GmbH (PerceptionLab No. 1), pp. 43–50.
Jones, W., ed. (2011). ‘The Minutiae of Space’, Architects’ Sketchbooks. London: Thames & Hudson, pp. 135–137.
Hemmerling, M., ed. (2010). ‘Digital Frisson’, Advanced Digital Architectural Design (ADAD), Germany: Produktion, Detmold, pp.34–45.
Littlefield, D., ed. (2008). ‘Contemporary Digital Design’, Space Craft: Developments in Architectural Computing. London: RIBA Publishing, pp. 84–89.
Littlefield, D. and Lewis, S. (2007). ‘Soundscape of 2 Marsham Street’, Architectural Voices: Listening to Old Buildings. West Sussex: Wiley-Academy, pp. 204–207.
Emmett, M. (2005). ‘Revelation’, Building Design, 18 February (1661), pp. 27.
Emmett, M. (2004). ‘Image Conscious’, Building Design, 16 July 2004 (1634).
Jencks, C., (2003). The Garden of Cosmic Speculation. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd.
Jencks, C., (2002). The New Paradigm in Architecture: The Language of Post-modernism. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd.
Emmett, M., (2002). ‘Scaling the Pyramid’, The Great Egyptian Museum Giza. London: RIBA Journal, pp.25–28.

Papers

‘Pulsating Hennig Brand’s Condensate’. In: The Transdisciplinary Imaging Conference at the Intersection Between Art, Science and Culture: The Atemporal Image. 1^st-3^rd July 2016, Plymouth University.
‘Open State’. In: Off The Lip, Transdisciplinary Approaches to Cognitive Innovation, pp. 51–70, 2015.
‘Pathological Space: Trauma and the Matrix of Cognition’, Health Care of the Future 5, Academy of Arts, Berlin (Technische Universität), 2014.
‘Hyper Vigilant Spatial Practice: an investigation of perception as an extended architectural parameter’, The 10th international conference of the Architectural Humanities Research Association, UWE, 2013.
‘I was a disembodied brain poised in space: Space cognition and immersive agency’, Plymouth University, 2013.
‘Acquisition of reality: perception as reflexive architecture’, Oxford Brookes University, 2012.
Estranged Space: research methodologies, 2012. Germany.
eCAADe 2011 Respecting Fragile Places, 2011. Ljubljana.
Architectural Association: Design Ecologies Symposium, 2011. London.
ADAD Advanced Digital Architectural Design: Towards a New Mobility, 2010 International Summer school, Germany.
Plymouth University: Hidden City, 2008. Plymouth.
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Intervention interaction, 2007.