Sonic Compass
Cameron Deyell
We're noisy neighbours, prone to clumsy sonic choices. Sound is too often an afterthought. But when we remove ourselves from that noise, our ears relax. We start to hear what has always been there: the ebb and flow of the natural sonic environment. When we finally take time to listen, we make space to think.
Sonic Compass is a sound sculpture and musical composition that charts a journey through listening. Composed by Cameron Deyell aboard a sailboat on a voyage along Australia's East Coast, it traces a path shaped by water, wind, and memory. Presented as a circular array of speakers arranged in the formation of a compass rose, sound drifts from point to point — like stars across a navigational sky.
Installed inside the Changshu Pavilion in Townsville's Perfume Garden, the work invites listeners to sit within the pavilion itself — or equally, to settle on the grass or anywhere else in the garden, where the composition blends into the sounds of the garden and the city beyond.
The work is launched by a 40-minute live performance by the artist inside the sculpture at 5pm on Thursday 24 September, before continuing to run day and night through to 11 October.
About The ArtistCameron Deyell is a composer, producer and sound artist whose work spans pop production, experimental sound art and installation. He was producer and performer on Sia's Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum album This Is Acting, and has worked at a high level within international commercial music.
He is a member of avant-punk band Liars (Mute Records, UK), and has toured and recorded with ARIA-winning artists Missy Higgins, Lior and Katie Noonan. He composes music for contemporary dance company Dancenorth, and holds a PhD in Interactive Composition from the University of Melbourne.
Alongside this production and performance work, Deyell maintains an independent practice in eco-acoustic composition, using field recordings and environmental sound as core material. He sailed across the Pacific Ocean and now lives aboard his yacht near the Great Barrier Reef, where his location directly informs the recording, research and development of new work.
Featured in the Perfume Gardens, on the corner of Walker Street and Stokes Street.
View the interactive PUNQ Art Trail Map for directions.
Venue AccessibilityEntrances & Paths: Wheelchair-accessible ramp from the street with unobstructed pathways.
Parking & Transit: Nearby accessible street parking, designated drop-off points, and close bus stations.
Facilities: Nearby accessible public restrooms with wider entry doors, park benches, shaded shelters, and open grassed areas.
Mobility Support: CBD location allows use of third-party accessible electric scooter options
PricingThis is a free event.
Back to HomePUNQ respectfully acknowledges the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the surrounding groups of our region; Bindal, Gugu Badhun, Nywaigi, Warrgamay, Bandjin and Gudjal as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, share and celebrate local creative practice. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of Australia. They have never ceded sovereignty and remain strong in their enduring connection to land and Culture.