The first Expo Leeds unconference for sound art and experimental music launched at Old Broadcasting House on 25 September to kick off the Expo Leeds weekend festival. The unconference explored exciting, ground-breaking, experimental practices in music and sound creation, including digital technologies, research and live demos, with speakers coming from around the world. Discussions sparked questions from the wide range of people in attendance to find out more about what™s new in the world of creative sound.

The passion from attendees was evident when internationally acclaimed composer, sound artist and producer, Colin Black presented his commission for Deutschland Radio, still jetlagged from travelling all the way from Australia. The project explored the interaction between the environment and the creation of sound. Extending a guitar string horizontally and attaching to a pole, the movement of the surroundings played harmonious sounds amongst bird song. Named the Enviro-Guitar, it demonstrated the creativity that brought fantastic productions to life.

A Positive Soundscape workshop followed later with key practitioners in the field of sound and urban design, including Martyn Ware, Creative Director of Sonic ID, Hans Peter Kuhn, a Berlin based sound and light artist and composer, and Bill Davies who conducts research in room acoustics.

If you didn™t make the unconference, have your say at http://unconference09.ning.com/ and comment in the online forums.