Artipelag Art Gallery enjoys perfect sound reproduction with Genelec

Dressed in bevelled pitched-pine planks, and carefully located between the pine trees and the cliffs with a view over Baggen’s Bay, the gallery is in perfect harmony with its beautiful surroundings. As part of a much-needed audio installation project, the in-house team at the gallery was tasked with filling a selection of spacious expanses with clear, neutral sound in accompaniment to the displays.

Inside its 32,000 square feet, Artipelag includes a vast exhibition room of about 11,000 square feet, along with four additional exhibition rooms, each designed with distinctive architectural features. Since audio was not a part of the initial art gallery construction, the need for a robust retrofit sound system was crucial. Genelec was chosen as the number one partner due to its large portfolio of products and great reputation when it comes to superior audio quality, reliability and great selection of accessories. With a large amount of hard surfaces reflecting audio, the project was not without its challenges. A small portfolio of Genelec products, including the 8020, 8030, 8040 and 8050, was installed throughout the art hall, and in the artist space area.

In the latest exhibition – “The Monochrome Symphony” – audio forms a key component of the experience.

Comprising single-coloured constellations of art, design, fashion and music, Genelec technology is fully utilised as part of the exhibition, playing tailor-made playlists via Spotify. This provides a more intense and immersive experience for visitors as they walk from room to room.

Chief Technical advisor at Artipelag, Johan Von Geijer says, “Genelec was our first choice, since we needed to place speakers in somewhat difficult places and challenging areas where we needed a great bass response from a rather small cabinet. We also have some Genelec speakers hidden under a dropped ceiling. This works flawlessly due to its great bass response and great audio quality, even off axis.”

A total of 10 Genelec 8020 speakers were fitted in the project. The Genelec 8020 speaker provides outstanding technical performance in a small physical footprint, making it an ideal choice for installations where space is at a premium or when a more modest appearance is desired so as not to overshadow the environment. The all-aluminium Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE™) and advanced Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW™) technologies are carefully matched with state-of-the art electronics and transducers design. The 8020 also features Genelec Intelligent Signal Sensing (ISS) circuitry which switches the monitor to standby when no audio input is detected.

Providing additional functionality to the audio setup at the gallery is Genelec’s 8050 monitors, which offer high SPL over a very wide frequency response.

These are used for reference at live music and speech performances at the gallery, such as release parties. Genelec’s DCW™ technology ensures wider usable listening area throughout the gallery, providing a flat response both on- and off-axis. This ensures a clear listening experience for guests in spite of less-than-ideal speaker placement. The in-house team also appreciated the ease of installation and flexible mounting options of the speakers, which will come in useful as the gallery constantly shifts in its layout.

Kit List

• 10 x 8020
• 6 x 8040
• 8 x 8030
• 2 x 8050B