Published
Tue, Jul 12, 2022, 16:43
- "I considered this whole system, from a cosmetic and engineering perspective, the same way a sculptor would approach an artwork...," described Ojas founder Devon Turnbull.
A new sculpture exhibition at Lisson Gallery in New York features a hi-fi listening room powered by an Ojas sound system.
Running through August 5th at the gallery's Chelsea location, the installation was designed to mirror Ojas founder Devon Turnbull's home hi-fi systems, which differ from the products he builds for nightclubs and other commercial spaces. It features bespoke power amps with a single-ended 300B circuit, a turntable with Technics' new flat rotor motor and a phono stage that Turnbull has been "evolving" for about a year, the audio engineer and streetwear designer told Resident Advisor. With a selection of records provided by Bad Bad Not Good, Blue Note, Brian Eno and Deutsche Grammophon on rotation, audiences can sit in the back for an immersive listening experience.
The entire system was conceptualised and built for the gallery exhibition—"there is nothing in the show that is a duplicate of anything else I’ve done, in form or function," Turnbull said. "The most unique thing about this piece, or system, is that it's the first time I've approached an entire sound system and made every single component by hand as a part of a cohesive one-off system," he continued. "I considered this whole system, from a cosmetic and engineering perspective, the same way a sculptor would approach an artwork commissioned by an art institution."
Respected for its high-performance speakers and sleek design, Brooklyn-based Ojas has outfitted audiophile venues across the globe, such as New York's public records and Bangkok's Siwilai Sound Club. Turnbull is known to use rare audio parts and retro design—"mainstream audio press would probably classify my approach as being nostalgic and not progressive"—but he describes his creations as timeless. "If you're a follower of high efficiency speaker / minimalist tube audio circuitry world, it's more part of a lineage of shared among a multi-generational community, rather than a radical reaction to audio trends."
Check Lisson Gallery's website for more information.