Commissioned and curated by Jeremy Howard
Kankyō Ongaku: Donegal was inspired by the Japanese genre of Kankyō Ongaku (environmental music), which emerged in the 1980s in response to rapid urbanisation and economic growth. Regional Cultural Centre Director Jeremy Howard invited five leading sound artists to create new works responding to the Centre’s contemporary architecture. These compositions formed a site-specific soundtrack for the building’s shared spaces, activated during late-night exhibition and event openings throughout 2024.
Designed by award-winning practice MacGabhann Architects, the Regional Cultural Centre is a striking landmark in Letterkenny. Its sculptural form, featuring reflective aluminium cladding, cantilevered volumes, and large expanses of glass, offers a rich and responsive environment for sound. The building’s spatial flow, from the transparent foyer to its suspended gallery and sky-box, helped shape the artists’ compositions, inviting subtle interplay between sound, architecture, and movement. The resulting soundscapes transformed the Centre into an immersive listening experience that blurred the boundary between functional space and contemplative environment.
Kankyō Ongaku shared conceptual and structural affinities with minimalism in modern art and contemporary design, offering immersive soundscapes tailored to public environments.
This project was supported by The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media through the Late-Night Events Pilot Programme.
The project was widely praised by audiences and artists alike for its innovative use of architecture as an instrument for listening, and for creating a thoughtful and ambient atmosphere during after-dark cultural experiences at the RCC.
Commissioned Artists
Gareth Quinn Redmond + Albert Karch
Since releasing his debut album Laistigh den Ghleo, Gareth Quinn Redmond has continued to draw inspiration from the Japanese concept of Kankyō Ongaku (environmental music). This philosophy underpins his compositional approach, which aims to foster a deep connection between listener and environment. He has released a number of ambient works in collaboration with international artists including Albert Karch, C.R. Gillespie, Francis Harris, and Irish painter Conor Campbell. Several of these recordings have appeared on renowned labels such as Hidden Harmony Recordings and WRWTFWW Records.
Gareth is also one of Ireland’s most sought-after session musicians, performing and recording with leading Irish acts including Villagers, James Vincent McMorrow, Ye Vagabonds, Glen Hansard, and Bell X1.
Albert Karch is an ambient musician, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He has contributed to over 40 albums across a wide range of genres. His 2019 release Celestially Light was a collaboration with acclaimed Japanese artist Ichiko Aoba.
Albert integrates environmental music into his production methods, often encouraging artists to record in unique locations rather than traditional studio settings. He holds a master’s degree in composition and a bachelor’s degree in performance from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen.
Stephen Shannon
Stephen Shannon is a composer, musician, and producer based in Dublin, working out of his studio, Experimental Audio. He composes original music for film, documentary, and television. Recent screen credits include Claire Dix’s feature Sunlight (2023), Kim Bartley’s award-winning documentary Pure Grit (2021), and the Paramount TV drama The Ex-Wife (2022). Previous work includes scores for the adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s Tomato Red (dir. Juanita Wilson) and Brian O’Malley’s gothic horror The Lodgers. He has also released original music as a member of Halfset, Strands, and Mount Alaska.
Natalia Beylis
Natalia Beylis is a sonic storyteller and multi-instrumentalist whose expansive body of work spans over 40 albums, encompassing solo projects, collaborations, and compilation appearances. While she regularly composes using traditional instruments such as piano, organ, keyboards, and mandola, her work often explores unconventional sound sources. One recent album, for example, was created entirely from the sounds of a domestic sewing machine. Her latest release, Mermaids, is out now on Touch Sensitive Records.\
Orri McBrearty
Orri McBrearty is a composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist based on the west coast of Donegal. Equally at home scoring experimental film or producing other artists’ work, he is closely associated with the award-winning Attica Audio studio. Recent credits include a commissioned composition for Photo Museum Ireland’s Galleries Without Walls project (2021), a well-received audio collaboration with artist Little John Nee (2021), and the soundtrack for Other Land (2022), which won Best Soundtrack at the Portuguese Film Festival.
Viva Dean
Viva Dean is a sound artist and mechanical engineer. She recently released the experimental electronic EP I Live Here under the moniker Brave Young Soldier, in collaboration with Brian McNamara, as well as music under the alias To Apeiron on GASH TRAX VOL.2 (Gash Collective).
In 2022, Viva founded Synthesize_Her_, an initiative offering electronics and sound technology workshops for girls and gender minorities. Her work supports young people in developing creative confidence with audio tools through communal, hands-on experiences. She has collaborated with organisations including Dublin Modular, Drop Everything, Gash Collective, Make-Create-Innovate, and Noise Music.
Kankyō Ongaku: Donegal offered a rare opportunity to hear public space differently—quietly and consciously. Through the artists’ contributions, the RCC became a place not only of visual engagement but of heightened sonic awareness. The project invites us to consider how sound, like architecture, can shape our sense of presence and belonging.
Poster artwork by Mori, a multidisciplinary studio led by Sara Leslie.