For the closing concert of Lia Mice’s latest exhibition ‘Soft Cymatics’ we will curate some improvisers to jam with Lia and her newly designed instrument. The venue also has stunning 360° projections, so expect some eye-popping visuals made especially for the event too!
Soft Cymatics is a new large (2 metres wide and tall) synthesizer meticulously made by Lia Mice using velvet fabric offcuts sewn into a giant quilt made up of patches patterned with the cymatic symbolic representation of each tone. With a plush feel and a lush sound, the performer touches the velvet, generating sound through capacitive touch circuits embedded in the thread. Exploring concepts of neuroaesthetics, Soft Cymatics challenges synthesizer interface designers to consider how the use of larger, eco-friendlier and fuzzier materials impact music performance.
This from Lia: “I will be showing my latest instrument Soft Cymatics at Not For Sale Gallery in Hackney Wick, London in January 2026. Soft Cymatics is my latest large instrument. You can follow along as I build it by subscribing to my Substack newsletter or reading the posts on Substack. The exhibition opens on Sunday 25th of January. From the 25th to the 30th you can reserve tickets to attend the gallery and perform the instrument yourself. I will also be performing the instrument at scheduled times. There is availabiity for a fabric synthesizer building workshop on Sunday 25th of January, 4-7pm.”
This event is BYOB. Entry fee includes 2 non-alcoholic mixers from the bar.
Not for Sale Gallery, 83 Smeed Road, London E3 2NR
Find your way with Citymapper: https://citymapper.com/go/8pp76dgafu
ACCESSIBILITY
*** We apologise that the venue is not wheelchair accessible. The gallery is up 4 flights of stairs and there is no working lift or accessible toilet. ***
Please use the ‘contact organiser’ button below to discuss access requirements, such as live streaming options and to receive info about an upcoming fabric synth building workshop in a wheelchair accessible location in London in February, and to attend and play Soft Cymatics at a wheelchair accessible seminar in London in March.