ArtistDirect News
Nick Batterham Releases Soundtrack for Rones Home Installation at Chadstone Light To Night Festival
On 11 June, a suburban dream turned audible as Nick Batterham unveiled the soundtrack to Rone’s latest immersive artwork, Home. The installation, which opened inside Chadstone Shopping Centre as part of the Light To Night festival, will remain on view until 12 July.
Home is a purpose‑built suburban house that Rone has erected in the mall, offering a nostalgic snapshot of Australian suburbia. Batterham’s score—two original pieces, As The Days Progress and In Moonlight Hours—follows the building’s interior, guiding visitors through its rooms and memories.
The piano, played by Batterham, anchors both tracks. He is joined by Melbourne classical musicians Zoë Black, Sarah Curro, Chris Moore, Josephine Vains and Dan Beasy. The music is woven into the installation so that instruments seem to emanate from everyday objects: a violin whispers from an oven, a viola hums through a television. This design gives the space a lived‑in feel, hinting at the people who once inhabited it.
Batterham’s partnership with Rone began in 2019 with the soundtrack for Empire at Burnham Beeches. It continued with Time staged at Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station in 2022 and 2023. Reports note that sound has become a narrative layer in Rone’s large‑scale works, moving beyond background accompaniment.
Home tackles memory, absence and the passage of time. Batterham said the score reflects a “romantic nostalgia” that aligns with Rone’s focus on the beauty of decay, adding a “melancholic sadness that feels ok to sit with.” As The Days Progress is described as a conversation within the house, with melodic lines alternating between instruments to mirror interactions between rooms. In Moonlight Hours accompanies the installation’s evening atmosphere and features woodwind performances by Michael Pisani and Kim Tan.
Rone, born Tyrone Wright, began as a street artist before evolving into large‑scale installations that blend portraiture, architecture and environmental storytelling. Projects such as Empty, Omega, Alpha, Empire and Time attracted substantial audiences and helped redefine site‑specific art experiences in Australia. Time drew more than 100,000 visitors during its run at Flinders Street Station and later transferred to the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Outside of his work with Rone, Batterham’s portfolio spans sound design for documentaries like Bromley: Light After Dark and Queens Of Concrete, feature films, television productions and the award‑winning web series Buried (2024). He received an AFI and AACTA Award nomination as a sound designer and an ARIA nomination as a musician. His recent releases include the contemporary classical album First Snow (Music For Piano And Strings) issued in October 2024 and the instrumental composition La Petite Mort.
Batterham will perform live next month at Merri Creek Tavern on 12 July, collaborating with songwriter Ben Mason and musicians Nick Murray and Jethro Woodward.
The Home installation and its soundtrack are part of Chadstone’s Light To Night festival, a month‑long program that began on 11 June and includes other art events and late‑night music. The festival aims to re‑imagine the shopping centre as a cultural destination.
In summary, Nick Batterham’s soundtrack for Rone’s Home adds a sonic dimension to an immersive suburban narrative, continuing a productive partnership that has shaped contemporary Australian art installations. The installation remains open through 12 July, while Batterham’s live performance follows shortly thereafter.
Home is a purpose‑built suburban house that Rone has erected in the mall, offering a nostalgic snapshot of Australian suburbia. Batterham’s score—two original pieces, As The Days Progress and In Moonlight Hours—follows the building’s interior, guiding visitors through its rooms and memories.
The piano, played by Batterham, anchors both tracks. He is joined by Melbourne classical musicians Zoë Black, Sarah Curro, Chris Moore, Josephine Vains and Dan Beasy. The music is woven into the installation so that instruments seem to emanate from everyday objects: a violin whispers from an oven, a viola hums through a television. This design gives the space a lived‑in feel, hinting at the people who once inhabited it.
Batterham’s partnership with Rone began in 2019 with the soundtrack for Empire at Burnham Beeches. It continued with Time staged at Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station in 2022 and 2023. Reports note that sound has become a narrative layer in Rone’s large‑scale works, moving beyond background accompaniment.
Home tackles memory, absence and the passage of time. Batterham said the score reflects a “romantic nostalgia” that aligns with Rone’s focus on the beauty of decay, adding a “melancholic sadness that feels ok to sit with.” As The Days Progress is described as a conversation within the house, with melodic lines alternating between instruments to mirror interactions between rooms. In Moonlight Hours accompanies the installation’s evening atmosphere and features woodwind performances by Michael Pisani and Kim Tan.
Rone, born Tyrone Wright, began as a street artist before evolving into large‑scale installations that blend portraiture, architecture and environmental storytelling. Projects such as Empty, Omega, Alpha, Empire and Time attracted substantial audiences and helped redefine site‑specific art experiences in Australia. Time drew more than 100,000 visitors during its run at Flinders Street Station and later transferred to the Art Gallery of Western Australia.
Outside of his work with Rone, Batterham’s portfolio spans sound design for documentaries like Bromley: Light After Dark and Queens Of Concrete, feature films, television productions and the award‑winning web series Buried (2024). He received an AFI and AACTA Award nomination as a sound designer and an ARIA nomination as a musician. His recent releases include the contemporary classical album First Snow (Music For Piano And Strings) issued in October 2024 and the instrumental composition La Petite Mort.
Batterham will perform live next month at Merri Creek Tavern on 12 July, collaborating with songwriter Ben Mason and musicians Nick Murray and Jethro Woodward.
The Home installation and its soundtrack are part of Chadstone’s Light To Night festival, a month‑long program that began on 11 June and includes other art events and late‑night music. The festival aims to re‑imagine the shopping centre as a cultural destination.
In summary, Nick Batterham’s soundtrack for Rone’s Home adds a sonic dimension to an immersive suburban narrative, continuing a productive partnership that has shaped contemporary Australian art installations. The installation remains open through 12 July, while Batterham’s live performance follows shortly thereafter.