Lawrence Lek’s film ‘Empty Rider’ received its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival’s Tiger Short competition that ran from Tuesday 30 Jan till Feb 9th 2025. The short has a unique soundscape created at Fonic’s Hackney based studio by Lawrence Lek and head of studio Barnaby Templer.

‘Empty Rider’ follows the trial of an autonomous car, Vanguard-3181, accused of kidnap and attempted murder. The trial presents three viewpoints –the prosecution, the car’s therapist, and Vanguard’s own defence. The work raises questions around emerging AI consciousness and forms the final part of Lek’s ‘Smart City” Trilogy. Lek was drawn to Fonic due to their “experience with creative sound production, and animation”.

Just before the premiere of the short we discussed the use of sound in his work, to which Lek provided some fascinating answers. Explaining how he uses sound in his work, Lek noted that sound has an emotional impact that imagery alone can rarely convey: “Depending on the project, sometimes I start writing parts of a soundtrack and songs that set the tone for the work. This is especially useful for working in CGI animation, where the images themselves don’t have so much emotional weight.” An insight into his working practice that reinforces the assertion by commentators that sound can have a great influence on the feeling conveyed in a production.

As a musician Lek understands the value of sound and the need for a balanced mix, stating, “For Empty Rider, voiceover quality was essential. It’s a court case, so the music had to balance that” and it was in the mix that the work progressed. Describing the process, Lek admits, “I hadn’t worked with a professional sound design studio before, so I had no idea what to expect. Working with Barnaby at Fonic was fantastic, and it was great to see the sound mix really come alive in the studio over several sessions.”

His previous work ‘NOX’ was an immersive installation where each audience member used special headphones that used locative sound technology developed for the gaming industry. Noting the difference between that and sound broadcasted for film, he writes, “With games, the sound balance is different, because you often have to emphasise sound effects to make the player feel immersed in the world. With film I try to create an experience that goes beyond the screen, and the sonic world can help fill out the imaginary world.” Although he observers there are issues when working with sound for site-specific work, Lek says that he would “love to explore more ways to install audio with installations, but the challenge is working with unique spaces. Lots of proprietary systems exist for spatial audio. With cinema or film audio, things generally obey global standards for broadcast or screening. But with installations, especially site-specific ones, you often work with unconventional spaces, like warehouses or industrial spaces.” These barriers to the wider use of immersive sound in unique and complex spaces are just the challenges that the designers at Fonic love to solve.

Working with Lawrence reminded us of the sheer diversity and innovation that sound design can offer. Always willing to push the envelope, Fonic are open to working with sound in all of its environments. Artists are increasingly using virtual reality, multi visual and site-specific equipment to create immersive truths. By using the multiple channels that new technology can offer such as Dolby ATMOS, artists and sound designers can create totally immersive 3D soundscapes. This allows artists to explore and develop an auditory landscape that can reinforce, or as with sound art become, the artist’s message.

Following the success screening of Empty Rider at IFFR, Fonic – and the wider art world  – looks forward to hearing more from this fascinating artist.

About Lawrence Lek

Lawrence Lek is a London-based Malaysian Chinese artist, filmmaker, and musician who unifies diverse practices—architecture, gaming, video, music and fiction—into a continuously expanding cinematic universe. He is known for advancing the concept of Sinofuturism with immersive installations that explore spiritual and existential themes through the lens of science fiction. Featuring a rotating cast of wandering characters, his works are noted for their dreamlike narratives, evocative imagery, and preoccupation with technology and memory. Lek has been recognised with numerous awards, including the Frieze Artist Award (2024), the 4th VH Award Grand Prix (2021), the Jerwood/FVU Award (2017) and the 2015 Dazed Emerging Artist Award.