My practice explores the poetic potential of movement, autonomous systems and the hidden relationships between sound, matter and living processes.
Through installations, performances and self-designed electronic instruments, I create situations in which sound emerges from interactions between physical forces, environmental conditions and custom-built machines. Rather than composing fixed musical forms, I design systems that evolve through chance, feedback and instability, allowing each work to develop as a unique ecosystem.
I see technology not as a tool for control or optimisation, but as a way of listening differently. By transforming invisible phenomena into perceptible experiences, my work invites audiences to engage with the world through attention, curiosity and wonder.
Situated between sound art, experimental music and technological craftsmanship, my practice brings together scientific exploration and poetic imagination to reveal the hidden dynamics that shape our environment.
Research Evolution
Electronic music
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Hacked electronics
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Experimental instruments
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Autonomous systems
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Listening ecologies
Xavier Gazon is a Belgian sound artist, performer and electronic instrument designer based in Liège.
His practice combines sound art, experimental music, kinetic sculpture and custom electronics to create immersive installations and performances. Since the early 2000s, he has developed a body of work that explores autonomous systems, generative processes and alternative ways of listening.
Alongside his artistic projects, he founded Wham Electronics, where he designs experimental electronic instruments for musicians, artists and sound researchers. He also regularly leads workshops on DIY electronics, circuit bending and creative technologies.
His work has been presented in festivals, galleries and cultural institutions in Belgium and internationally.
Selected works
An overview of selected installations, performances and collaborative works exploring autonomous systems, sound and listening.
Immersive exhibition
A large-scale installation where sound, sculpture and electromechanical and magnetism systems transform architectural space into a shared listening experience through resonance, movement and interaction.
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Autonomous sound organism (electromagnetically prepared piano)
Developed during an artist residency at ALBA (Charleroi), Emthea reimagines John Cage’s prepared piano as an autonomous sound organism. Through custom-built electromagnetic actuators and generative electronics, the piano is no longer performed but continuously brought into vibration, allowing resonance, feedback and chance to shape an ever-evolving sonic environment.
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Outdoor installation
A self-sustaining sound ecosystem inspired by scientific research on plant communication and environmental interactions.
CurieuCity (ULB/VUB) — Brussels
Performance & installation
A living botanical instrument translating real-time plant activity into an immersive quadraphonic performance.
Mapping Festival / Musée d’Art et d’Histoire — Geneva
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Selected instruments
Listening device
An experimental contact microphone designed to reveal low-frequency vibrations and hidden acoustic phenomena.
Experimental cassette tape Instrument
Originally developed as a personal prototype exploring cassette tape as a voltage-controlled musical interface, the CV Tape Station quickly gained attention within the Eurorack and DIY synthesizer community through social media and online publications.
The enthusiasm surrounding the project led to the creation of Wham Electronics, transforming an experimental artwork into the first instrument of a growing catalogue of handmade electronic devices.
Selected Collaborations
Original music and sound design for contemporary dance.
Lausanne CH – Cie Utilité Publique
Original music, sound design for a musical tale with author Michel Vandam.
Format : Vinyl + CD
1998
Experimental Electronic Music
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Circuit Bending
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Instrument Design
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Autonomous Systems
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Listening Environments
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Today
For nearly three decades, my practice has explored how sound can emerge from relationships rather than control.