Professor Toby Heys
Research Professor
He is the primary investigator on the following funded projects:
AUDIENCE WITH A HERO: INNOVATE UK AUDIENCES OF THE FUTURE Funding: £1m
Using Virtual Reality to develop and test new story-led production processes, to enable audiences to have the experience of meeting a ‘hero’ in virtual space, who will tell their personal story and answer questions in real-time. Based on work at the National Holocaust Centre that allows audiences to speak with a virtual holocaust witness.
LIKELY STORIES: AHRC FUNDED STUDENTSHIP
Funding: £60,000
The project responds to a lack of research into using machine learning to understand the aesthetics of persuasion in audio-visual narratives in the short form videos common on social media, especially in relation to marginalised audiences.
UNHEALTHY BIAS: WELLCOME TRUST SEED FUND PROJECT
Funding: £1200
This project uses media theory and its methods to inform machine learning (ML) approaches to NHS public health online video efficacy for South Asian audiences.
Funded via NMHRC
MOOD/MUSIC: HELPING YOUNG CARERS COPE WITH LONELINESS
Funding: £83,000 from the Big Lottery Fund/Co-op
In partnership with the Gaddum Centre charity, this arts-based project seeks to work with a small group of young carers to co-create AI emotion-sensing music tools that express their experiences as a group and as individuals.
A HISTORY of ACOUSTIC SURVEILLANCE: COLLABORATION WITH THE DIGITAL STORYTELLING LAB (NEW YORK).
Funding: £40,000
Through a series of events over two years, that officially kicked off in February 2019 with an event at New York’s Lincoln Centre, SODA researchers are working with the Digital Storytelling Lab to develop an interactive experience around acoustic surveillance and espionage in the context of near-pervasive AI enabled listening devices in phones and digital homes.
AUDINT - UNSOUND : UNDEAD Exhibition Tour
Funding: £25,000
Heys is a member of the sonic research unit AUDINT. They have recently published the anthology ‘Unsound : Undead’ through Urbanomic, 2019.
'Unsound : Undead' Introduction: Since 2007, popular culture has been marked by the phenomenon of dead rap and rock stars being revivified using holographic technology. From Elvis to Tupac, these examples are emblematic of a newly emerging necromantic culture that problematizes the taken for granted idea that performers must be breathing, thereby troubling the relationship between sound/music and life. This technologically induced rebirth opens up a series of intriguing questions, informed by theories of post- and in-humanism, relating to artificiality, mortality and virtuality (what we refer to as the Undead). From high frequency crowd control systems and ultrasonic directional audio technology to haptic feedback devices using vibration within the context of VR, our understanding of the sonic is constantly re-engineered. These augmentations of audition to include the imperceptible and the not-yet or no-longer audible (what we refer to as Unsound), and their relationship to the Undead, demarcate the remit of the contributions. Ultimately, the book examines what is it about the sonic that has provided cultures throughout history with channels to the otherworldly?
PhD
Heys received a full AHRC scholarship to undertake his PhD entitled - The Utilisation of Waveforms as Weapons, Apparatus for Psychological Manipulation, and as Instruments of Physiological Influence by Industrial, Entertainment, and Military Organisations at Liverpool John Moores University, finishing in 2011. A year of this study was spent undertaking a Visiting Scholar position in the Music department at New York University (NYU) in the USA.
He is an active external member and researcher within:
* Hexagram / CIAM (Centre for Research-Creation in Media Arts and Technologies Concordia University/Université du Québec à Montréal, Québec, Canada)
* Audio Cultures Research Unit (ACRU), KIngston University, London, UK
* Sonic Research Initiative (SRI), York University, Toronto, Canada
Projects
P.E.R.C.E.P. (Prepared Environment for Research into the Crossmodal Effects of Perception)
A project concerned with the development and integration of a multi-sensory laboratory based in the Digital Innovation shed. PERCEP will be a multi-disciplinary space that can be sensorially engineered. Details…
3D Printing Graphene
Working with Dr. Craig Banks (Reader in nano and electrochemical technology) and Matt Pilling (lecturer from Architecture) at MMU, we are developing a 3D printer and process that allows us to construct three dimensional objects made from graphene. Details…
AUDINT - A Martial Hauntology
AUDINT is a research cell investigating how ultrasonic, sonic and infrasonic frequencies are used to demarcate territory in the soundscape and the ways in which their martial and civil deployments modulate psychological, physiological and architectural states. Re-formatted in 2008, AUDINT currently consists of Toby Heys and Steve Goodman. Details…
Heys & Saucier - Radiabolus
An interactive robotic sound system that functions as a martial jukebox. It plays music from army, navy, and airforce recruitment adverts that have been aired on TV stations from 30+ countries over the past 40 years. Details…
The Cotard Syndicate - Phantom Lim(b)inality
The notion of wilderness is replete with ideas of transgression and redemption. When referring to wilderness one often speaks of it as being at the end of what is ‘known’ or topologically perceivable. Details…
Research
Toby Heys is a member of the School of Digital Arts Research Hub.
Exhibitions
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2017. PzyK Skan - Nguyen Van Phong. Archive 1955 - 1979, Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, Liverpool, UK, 22/9/2017 - 24/9/2017.
Heys, TEB., 2017. Undercurrency: Vault 53.3414° N, 1.7921° W, Abandon Normal Devices Festival - Speedwell Cavern, Peak District, 22/9/2017 - 23/9/2017.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2016. Colorcoder, Rome Media Festival, The National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Rome,, 12/4/2016.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2016. Delphic Panaceas, Harcourt House Gallery, Edmonton, Canada, 10/3/2016 - 15/4/2016.
Heys, TEB., 2016. Delusions of the Living Dead, SOIL Media, Regina, Canada, 17/9/2016 - 19/11/2016.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2016. Delusions of the Living Dead / DRNE Cartography, Funkhaus, Loop Festival, Berlin, Germany, 4/11/2016 - 6/11/2016.
Heys, TEB., 2016. Furniture Music, The Level Centre, 3/5/2016 - 23/6/2016.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2016. The Dead Record Archive, Harcourt House Gallery, Edmonton, Canada, 10/3/2016.
Heys, TEB., Bardin, S., Ramakrishnan, S., 2015. 'The Phantom Economy of Torments' installation in the group exhibition 'Art Environment Action!', The Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, New York..
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2015. Delphic Panaceas, Artcite, Windsor, Canada, 11/9/2015.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2015. Delusions of the Living Dead, Tate Britain, 1/5/2015.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2015. Delusions of the Living Dead / DRNE Cartography, DHC Art + Centre Phi + Mutek Festival, Montreal, Canada, 27/5/2015.
Heys, TEB., Ramakrishnan, S., Bardin, S., 2015. M(y)Crobes, The Bronx River Art Center, New York, USA, 9/1/2015.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2015. Martial Hauntology, The Dynamics of Darkness in the North conference, Nordic House, Reykjavik, Iceland, 26/2/2015.
Heys, T. and Blank, O., 2014. Drone Chamber 2, Broken City Lab, Windsor, Canada, 01.02.2014 - 28.02.2014.
Heys, TEB., 2014. GhettoDrone: Chamber 2, Broken City Lab Gallery, WIndsor, Canada, 3/9/2014.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2014. Martial Hauntology, MARTA Museum of Contemporary Art, Herford, Germany, 14/2/2014.
Heys, TEB., Ramakrishnan, S., Bardin, S., 2014. The Contained Facility of Ohrwurm, Asia Triennial Manchester, Imperial War Museum, Manchester, England, 27/9/2014.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2014. The Dead Record Office, MARTA Herford (Museum of Contemporary Art), Germany, 15/2/2014 - 1/6/2014.
Heys, TEB., 2014. The Phantom Economy of Torments, Exhibition: Pot Luck: An Augmented Reality Walk, The Flaherty, New York, USA, 31/3/2014.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2013. 'Dead Record Office' installation in 'Platform: In The Making' group exhibition, Site Gallery, Sheffield, UK, 29/3/2013.
Heys, TEB., 2013. 'Ghettodrone: Chamber 1' in the 'Seamless' group exhibition, The Museum of Architecture and Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia., 19/9/2013.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2013. Dead Record Office, Bunkier Sztuki / Unsound Festival, Krakow, Poland, 13/10/2013.
Heys, T., Blank, O., 2013. Ghettodrone: Chamber 1, (Group exhibition) 'Seamless', The Museum of Architecture and Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Heys, TEB., 2013. Vinyl Collider, 'Sensory & Emotional Education' exhibition, Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India, 15/2/2013.
Heys, T., Saucier, R., 2013. Virutorium, (Group exhibition) 'Seamless', The Museum of Architecture and Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. Dead Record Office, (Group exhibition) 'New Forms Installations', Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver, Canada.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. Dead Record Office, (Group exhibition) 'Spectral / Club Transmediale', Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien, Berlin, Germany.
Heys, TEB., 2012. The Dead Record Office, The Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver, Canada, 13/9/2012 - 16/9/2012.
Heys, TEB., 2012. The Dead Record Office, Kunstraum Kreuzberg / Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, 30/1/2012 - 5/2/2012.
Heys, TEB., Bardin, S., 2012. The Department of Phantom Limb Recyling (DoPLR), Muse Center of Photography & Moving Image, New York, 6/3/2012 - 31/3/2012.
Heys, TEB., Bardin, S., Ramakrishnan, S., 2012. The Phantom Economy of Torments, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, New York, USA, 28/9/2012 - 15/12/2012.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2011. Dead Record Office, Art in General, New York, USA, 17/6/2011.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2011. Dead Record Office, Art in General, New York, USA, 17/6/2011.
Heys, TEB., Barnet, SE., 2011. Does God Live in the No-Fly Zone, Galerie Occurrence, Montréal, Canada, 3/12/2011.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2011. Virutorium, Gallery Connexion, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, 17/3/2011.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2011. Virutorium, Acadia University Gallery, Acadia, Canada, 12/1/2011.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2011. Virutorium, AC Institute, New York, USA.
Heys, TEB., Eckardt, A., Pedersen, U., 2010. Library of the Unwanted, Manchester Central Library, Manchester, UK, 10/12/2010.
Heys, TEB., Goodman, S., 2010. Unsound Systems, Site Gallery, Sheffield, UK, 5/11/2010.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2010. Viralava, AC Institute, New York, USA, 1/7/2010.
Heys, T., Barnet, S., 2009. Does God Live in the No-Fly Zone, (Solo exhibition) Five Years Gallery, London, England.
Heys, TEB., Lopez, N., 2009. Listening for Talinel Chaban, Centre d'exposition Circa, Montréal, Canada, 9/5/2009.
Heys, T., Couzinier, T. and Dubuard, B., 2009. re: CORD and Scalene, (Group exhibition) 'Extracts'. The Slick Art Fair. Paris, France.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2009. Unsound Systems, (Group exhibition) 'Art in the Name of Security'. Academy of Art, Berlin, Germany.
Heys, TEB., Barnet, SE., 2008. Does God Live in the No-Fly Zone, The Five Years Gallery, London, England, 21/2/2008.
Heys, TEB., 2008. The Thoughts Of A Construction Worker, The Under Construction Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey, 2/4/2008.
Heys, T., 2008. Viruhoody, (Group exhibition) 'Mal Aux Pixel Festival'. Mains D’Oeuvres, Paris, France.
Heys, T., Saucier, R., 2008. Virutorium, (Solo exhibition) Neutral Ground Gallery, Regina, Canada.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2006. Infrasense, Galerie Séquence, Chicoutimi, Canada, 6/10/2006.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2006. Infrasense, The Ben Maltz Gallery, Los Angeles, USA, 5/5/2006.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2006. Infrasense, Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Bradford, England, 4/2/2006.
Heys, TEB., 2006. Infrasense, Peterborough Digital Arts, Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery, Peterborough, England, 27/1/2006.
Heys, TEB., 2006. Infrasense, L'Oeil de poisson, Québec City, Canada, 6/1/2006.
Heys, TEB., 2006. Missing Mass, Galerie Sans Nom, Moncton, Canada, 24/3/2006.
Heys, TEB., 2005. A.D.I.E.U. (Architectural Developments In Escape Units) Working Archive, Gallery 44: Centre for Contemporary Photography, Toronto, Canada, 10/8/2005.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2005. Infrasense, Grunt Gallery, Vancouver, Canada, 7/10/2005.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2005. Infrasense, Neutral Ground, Regina, Canada, 3/6/2005.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2005. Infrasense, Quartier éphémère, Montréal, Canada, 15/3/2005.
Heys, TEB., 2005. Missing Mass, Gallery 44: Centre for Contemporary Photography, Toronto, Canada, 10/8/2005.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2004. Infrasense, Kunstencentrum Vooruit, Gent, Belgium, 12/11/2004.
Heys, TEB., 2004. Infrasense, The Folly Gallery, Lancaster, England, 6/11/2004.
Heys, TEB., Saucier, R., 2004. Infrasense, InterAccess Media Arts Centre / Subtle Technologies Festival, Toronto, Canada, 27/5/2004.
Heys, TEB., 2003. A.D.I.E.U. (Architectural Developments In Escape Units) Working Archive, AXENÉO7, Gatineau, Canada, 14/9/2003.
Heys, TEB., 2003. Missing Mass, Axe Néo 7, Gatineau, Canada, 14/9/2003.
Heys, TEB., 2001. A.D.I.E.U. (Architectural Developments In Escape Units) Working Archive, Seven Degrees Media Centre, Laguna Beach, USA, 2/2/2001.
Heys, TEB., 2000. A.D.I.E.U. (Architectural Developments In Escape Units) Working Archive, RMIT Project Space, Melbourne, Australia, 16/3/2000.
Heys, TEB., 1999. A.D.I.E.U. (Architectural Developments In Escape Units) Working Archive, Artcite, Windsor, Canada, 23/4/1999.
Artefacts
Heys, T. & Goodman, S, 2014. 'Martial Hauntology', 180gm Clear Vinyl, 6 x 12"x12" 'Dead Record Office' cards, and a 112-page book released in a triple gatefold., 2014.
Performances
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2013. 'Martial Hauntology', The Evil Music Festival, The House of World Cultures (Haus der Kulturen der Welt), Berlin, Germany, 26.10.2013.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2013. 'Martial Hauntology', The Unsound Festival, Bunkier Sztuki, Krakow, Poland, 16.10.2013.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. 'Martial Hauntology', OpenSound Event, Nantes, France, 30.10.2012.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. 'Martial Hauntology', Sound Development City Event, The White Building. London, England, 05.09.2012.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. 'Martial Hauntology', New Forms Festival, Vancouver, Canada, 15.09.2012.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. 'Martial Hauntology', Chelsea College of Art and Design, Moving Forest, London, England, 04.07.2012.
Heys, T., Couzinier, T. and Dubuard, B., 2009. 're. Cord', Nemo Festival. Paris, France.
Heys, T., Couzinier, T. and Dubuard, B., 2008. 're. Cord', Palais de Tokyo, 'From One Revolution To Another', Paris, France.
Heys, T., Couzinier, T. and Dubuard, B., 2008. 're. Cord', Neutral Ground Gallery. Regina, Canada.
Books
Jackson, D., Courneya, M., Heys, T., 2024. 'Listening In: How Audio Surveillance became Artificial Intelligence', Bloomsbury Academic, London.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2013. 'Dead Record Office', Art in General, New York, USA.
Heys, T., Hennlich, A., Parikka, J., Buiani, R., Goodman, S., Poissant, L., 2010. 'Infrasense / Virutorium: Viral Projects by the Kit Collaboration and Robert Saucier', Thirdsound Press, Manchester, England.
Book Chapters
Heys, TEB., Ikoniadou, E., Goodman, S., 2017. 'A Century of Zombie Sound'. In Futures and Fictions, Repeater.
Journal Articles
Heys, T., Hennlich, A., 2013. 'The Nervous Witness of Struggle', Esse, 54-57.
Heys, T., Hennlich, A., 2010. 'The Art of Conservative Détournement', ETC, 88, 61-64.
Heys, T., 2010. 'The Avant-Garde and the Detainment Camp', ETC, 91, 31-33.
Presentations
Heys, T., 2013. 'Chair of panel 'Clandestine Movements and Detention Under Dictatorship'', Musical and Other Cultural Responses to Political Violence in Latin America, Manchester University, 06.12.2013.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2012. 'An Unsound History of Sonic Warfare', Invisible Attacks & Hideouts, Hau 3, Berlin, Germany, 03.02.2012.
Heys, T., 2012. 'Audio Visual Interpretation', Real-Time Visuals, Goldsmiths College, Real-Time Visuals Research Network, London, England, 18.06.2012.
Heys, T., Perich, T. and Kontopoulos. M, 2011. 'An Unsound History of AUDINT', Rhizome Commissions, The New Museum, New York, USA, 15. 07.2011.
Heys, T., 2011. 'The Haunted Histories of AUDINT', Art In General Artist's Series, Art in General. New York, USA, 29.07.2011.
Heys, T., Goodman, S. and Tompkins, D., 2011. 'The Martial Arts of Sonic Hauntology', Eyebeam Sonic Arts Conference, Eyebeam, New York, USA, 13.06.2011.
Heys, T., Saucier. R, 2011. 'The Resonant Frequency of the Virus', Artist Forum Series, Gallery Connexion, Fredericton, Canada, 19.03.2011.
Heys, T., Goodman, S., 2010. 'An Unsound History of AUDINT', Platform Series, Site Gallery, Sheffield, England, 25.11.2010.