The Art of Sound multi-media exhibition is aimed at the layperson with no specialist knowledge of contemporary music or music notation. It features photographer Eugene Langan’s dramatic and perceptive portraits of Irish composers together with large-scale images of each composer’s musical handwriting. An audio-guide on gallery-type handsets provides excerpts of their music and sets the pieces in context.

To accompany the exhibition, talks, small-scale performances or workshops can be arranged by the Contemporary Music Centre upon request and subject to availability of funding. These have been found to greatly enhance interest in the exhibition.

The Art of Sound was devised by the Contemporary Music Centre in partnership with the Music Department of University College Cork and first shown in Cork Public Museum in May 2005 as part of the Cork 2005: European Capital of Culture programme.

Since then it has toured to the Kilkenny Arts Festival, the Éigse Festival in Carlow, Waterford New Music Week, and the Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Co Dublin. Most recently it has been seen in the Liverpool Irish Festival, as part of the Liverpool 2008: European Capital of Culture programme.