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a (con)temporary site for testing, research and emerging practice
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SHOW: EXHIBITION
Opening night: Thursday 16th of October 6-9pm
Open Friday 17th - Sunday 26th.
‘Must be somewhere’ by Sanche Zev
Must Be Somewhere by Sanche Zev explores the desert’s soundscape and human presence. Using payphones as field recorders, Zev captures conversations with strangers and the silence of remote desert regions. Photographs and translucent textile prints immerse viewers in a layered reflection on distance, listening, and the social and political contexts that shape these landscapes.
Curatorial text by Ash Frost
Must Be Somewhere by Sanche Zev explores the intersection of the desert’s soundscape and human presence. Using payphones as field recorders, Zev calls public phones across the Western, Central, and Southern desert regions, capturing both conversations with strangers and the silence of the desert when calls go unanswered. The resulting recordings reveal the delicate balance between connection and absence, inviting listeners to consider the emotional, relational, and geographical distances inherent in human interaction.
The landscape photographs included in this exhibition act as complementary visual anchors. Taken during Zev’s residency at Watch This Space, they capture arid and urban desert landscapes that contextualize the audio work. These images, often partially abstracted or framed to highlight both isolation and intimacy, draw viewers into spaces that are simultaneously real and imagined, echoing the fragmentary and unpredictable nature of the phone calls.
Zev’s translucent textile prints hang through the centre of the gallery, creating a layered, immersive environment. Their ethereal presence transforms the space into a contemplative field, encouraging visitors to navigate the installation both physically and conceptually, moving between sound, image, and space.
Must Be Somewhere exists with broader social and political contexts. Many of the locations captured exist within histories of colonialism, dispossession, and ongoing struggles for sovereignty. Temporal factors, such as curfews in desert towns, subtly shape the recordings and images, reminding us that landscapes are never neutral—they are sites marked by human systems of power, regulation, and resilience.
This exhibition offers viewers a layered reflection on distance, communication, and the act of witnessing. Audio and visual elements work together to create spaces of anticipation, attention, and curiosity, encouraging audiences to inhabit the desert imaginatively while considering the human and environmental contexts that shape it.
Adapted from a longer essay originally written for “Must Be Somewhere,” April 2025.
Ashleigh Frost (Ash) is a producer and curator based on Gumbaynggirr Country (Bowraville, NSW). With a background in sociology and a focus on community-centred practice, Ash’s curatorial work explores collaboration, care, and connection through the arts. Having lived and worked for many years in Walyalup (Fremantle), Ash brings together experiences across coastlines and communities to support meaningful creative exchange.
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Must Be Somewhere by Sanche Zev explores the intersection of the desert’s soundscape and human presence. Using payphones as field recorders, Zev calls public phones across the Western, Central, and Southern desert regions, capturing both conversations with strangers and the silence of the desert when calls go unanswered. The resulting recordings reveal the delicate balance between connection and absence, inviting listeners to consider the emotional, relational, and geographical distances inherent in human interaction.
The landscape photographs included in this exhibition act as complementary visual anchors. Taken during Zev’s residency at Watch This Space, they capture arid and urban desert landscapes that contextualize the audio work. These images, often partially abstracted or framed to highlight both isolation and intimacy, draw viewers into spaces that are simultaneously real and imagined, echoing the fragmentary and unpredictable nature of the phone calls.
Zev’s translucent textile prints hang through the centre of the gallery, creating a layered, immersive environment. Their ethereal presence transforms the space into a contemplative field, encouraging visitors to navigate the installation both physically and conceptually, moving between sound, image, and space.
Must Be Somewhere exists with broader social and political contexts. Many of the locations captured exist within histories of colonialism, dispossession, and ongoing struggles for sovereignty. Temporal factors, such as curfews in desert towns, subtly shape the recordings and images, reminding us that landscapes are never neutral—they are sites marked by human systems of power, regulation, and resilience.
This exhibition offers viewers a layered reflection on distance, communication, and the act of witnessing. Audio and visual elements work together to create spaces of anticipation, attention, and curiosity, encouraging audiences to inhabit the desert imaginatively while considering the human and environmental contexts that shape it.
Adapted from a longer essay originally written for “Must Be Somewhere,” April 2025.
Ashleigh Frost (Ash) is a producer and curator based on Gumbaynggirr Country (Bowraville, NSW). With a background in sociology and a focus on community-centred practice, Ash’s curatorial work explores collaboration, care, and connection through the arts. Having lived and worked for many years in Walyalup (Fremantle), Ash brings together experiences across coastlines and communities to support meaningful creative exchange.
