Lewis Wolstanholme
He/Him
London, UK
Lewis is a multidisciplinary artist and musician based in London. His practice centers around contemporary approaches to composition, installation, and performance, utilizing Max to develop new techniques toward exploratory sound design and experimental performativity. He has previously curated a range of Max lectures and workshops at institutions including Queen Mary University of London and ICMP. Lewis also provides bespoke technical support for artists during performance and production.
Lewis is a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London for the courses Sound Design, a BSc module that covers sound design using Max, and Sound Recording & Production Techniques. Also a MSc module focused on the techniques of audio recording, mixing and mastering. Lewis' approach to education is reflexive towards the student, a practice which he developed during the early parts of his career when he worked as a peripatetic piano and composition tutor.
Lewis works as a freelancer across multiple artistic and specialist disciplines. Lewis has assisted artists in a variety settings, most prominently providing musical and technical support to artists during performance and production. Lewis has developed award winning synthesisers and various software tools for artists, such as bespoke Max for Live devices and Max patches for working with spatial audio. He is currently the principal technician for Andrew McPherson's magnetic resonator piano, providing tailored technical support for each performer and their performative environment. Lewis has also engaged in range of work as an engraver, preparing scores for publication and performance. Throughout these activities, Lewis has worked with artists such as Arca, BBC Concert Orchestra, Jon Brion, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Xenia Pestova Bennett and many others.
Lewis is currently a part-time PhD researcher in Electronic Engineering & Computer Science at the Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this, he received his BMus and MMus in composition from Goldsmiths, University of London, whilst focusing primarily on experimental composition, microtonal music and aesthetics. Now working as part of the Augmented Instruments Lab alongside Andrew McPherson, Lewis' research is centred upon compositional and computational approaches to percussion instruments. This topic encompasses a practice based approach towards the development of technologies relating to the orchestration of percussion instruments, interfaces for the exploration of synthesised and physically modelled instruments, as well as the augmentation of traditional percussion instruments to achieve new sonic and performative ideals. This process driven narrative has also encouraged research into spatial audio and other forms of synthesis technologies, as well as highlighted several philosophical frictions embedded within the relationship between science and art. As a byproduct of his research, Lewis has released many of his technological developments online as Max patches.
Together with Francis Devine, Lewis curates the audiovisual performance project Julia Set, specialising in crossmodal, immersive and improvisatory art practices. As a duo, their output lies between the realms of music and the fine arts, with works that aim to challenge a spectator’s perceptive interpretation of the audible and visual world. As this project has developed, they have collaborated with a variety of other artists to create works that reinforce their aesthetic dialogue with performative technology and explorative production. Julia Set has previously released several of their audiovisual pieces online, curated numerous performances across the UK, and have worked alongside labels such as Nonclassical and State51.
Lewis is a lecturer at Queen Mary University of London for the courses Sound Design, a BSc module that covers sound design using Max, and Sound Recording & Production Techniques. Also a MSc module focused on the techniques of audio recording, mixing and mastering. Lewis' approach to education is reflexive towards the student, a practice which he developed during the early parts of his career when he worked as a peripatetic piano and composition tutor.
Lewis works as a freelancer across multiple artistic and specialist disciplines. Lewis has assisted artists in a variety settings, most prominently providing musical and technical support to artists during performance and production. Lewis has developed award winning synthesisers and various software tools for artists, such as bespoke Max for Live devices and Max patches for working with spatial audio. He is currently the principal technician for Andrew McPherson's magnetic resonator piano, providing tailored technical support for each performer and their performative environment. Lewis has also engaged in range of work as an engraver, preparing scores for publication and performance. Throughout these activities, Lewis has worked with artists such as Arca, BBC Concert Orchestra, Jon Brion, Pet Shop Boys, Pulp, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Xenia Pestova Bennett and many others.
Lewis is currently a part-time PhD researcher in Electronic Engineering & Computer Science at the Centre for Digital Music, Queen Mary University of London. Prior to this, he received his BMus and MMus in composition from Goldsmiths, University of London, whilst focusing primarily on experimental composition, microtonal music and aesthetics. Now working as part of the Augmented Instruments Lab alongside Andrew McPherson, Lewis' research is centred upon compositional and computational approaches to percussion instruments. This topic encompasses a practice based approach towards the development of technologies relating to the orchestration of percussion instruments, interfaces for the exploration of synthesised and physically modelled instruments, as well as the augmentation of traditional percussion instruments to achieve new sonic and performative ideals. This process driven narrative has also encouraged research into spatial audio and other forms of synthesis technologies, as well as highlighted several philosophical frictions embedded within the relationship between science and art. As a byproduct of his research, Lewis has released many of his technological developments online as Max patches.
Together with Francis Devine, Lewis curates the audiovisual performance project Julia Set, specialising in crossmodal, immersive and improvisatory art practices. As a duo, their output lies between the realms of music and the fine arts, with works that aim to challenge a spectator’s perceptive interpretation of the audible and visual world. As this project has developed, they have collaborated with a variety of other artists to create works that reinforce their aesthetic dialogue with performative technology and explorative production. Julia Set has previously released several of their audiovisual pieces online, curated numerous performances across the UK, and have worked alongside labels such as Nonclassical and State51.