Installation | Zhao Jiajing: “Omniopticon”
Omniopticon invites visitors to step inside a constantly shifting field of sound. Scattered throughout the space are wireless loudspeakers. They are not fixed in place: you are free to pick them up, move them, tilt them, rotate them, or leave them somewhere new. Every gesture reshapes the acoustic environment, allowing the installation to unfold differently with each visitor’s presence.
The work takes its name from the idea of the omniopticon: a condition in which everyone can observe and be observed, a feature of today’s social-media-saturated world. Rather than presenting this as a system of surveillance, Omniopticon turns it into a shared, exploratory environment. Visibility becomes audibility, and moving a loudspeaker becomes a way
of revealing or obscuring sonic perspectives.
As the speakers change position, the sound re-forms across the room. What you hear is shaped not only by the architecture, but also by the placement of the speakers and by the choices of those around you. No two moments are alike. The installation becomes a collective instrument whose behaviour reflects the actions and curiosity of its participants.
You are invited to explore. Try moving a single speaker or coordinating with others. Follow a sound across the room, or gather several speakers into a cluster. Listen to how the sonic space expands, fragments or gathers as you intervene. Notice how your movements influence – and are influenced by – other people in the space.
In Omniopticon, space is not a backdrop but the material of the artwork itself: a social, physical and acoustic terrain that shifts with every action. It is both an immersive environment and a gentle social experiment, prompting reflection on how we navigate shared spaces, how we shape them, and how they in turn shape us. Your participation completes the piece.
About the artist
Zhao Jiajing (赵嘉旌; family name–given name) is a London-based electroacoustic composer and sound artist from Beijing.
Zhao’s practice spans acousmatic music, sound installation, performance, and new media. Since 2019, he has focused on spatial sound, creating multichannel compositions and installations. His work explores questions of time, technological mediation, and our evolving relationship with both the digital and natural worlds. He frequently collaborates across disciplines, working with practitioners and researchers in visual art, theatre, science, and technology.
Zhao’s work has been featured at major international venues and festivals such as Ars Electronica (AT), IRCAM (FR), ZKM Karlsruhe (DE), ICMC (Int’l), SICMF (KR), GMEM (FR) and ORF musikprotokoll (AT). He has received recognitions and commissions from the ISCM British Section, Musica Nova, Aesthetica × Audible, the Shanghai International Arts Festival, The Engine Room, Musicacoustica, Royal College of Art × LG Display, IEM Graz, among others.
Zhao holds an MA in Information Experience Design from the Royal College of Art and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of the Arts London (CRiSAP), supervised by Adam Stanović. He is also a mentor and visiting lecturer for the MA in Designing Audio Experiences at University College London.