Music and design faculty will create a sonic playground at the Brisbane Powerhouse this weekend.

The ‘Curious Music’ lineup is part of the popular Curiocity program, and features all kinds of weird and wonderful creations, from listening boxes to sound-generating sculptures, 3D printed musical cubes and augmented reality sound walks by the Brisbane River.

Audiences of all ages will be given the opportunity to discover music technology, soundscape artists, interactive musical installations and a variety of musical activities with imaginative play.

Dr John Ferguson and Professor Vanessa Tomlinson from the Queensland Conservatorium collaborated on Listening Boxes, which features sounds from the local environment captured and presented in vintage library drawers.

Digital and interactive media lecturer Daniel Della-Bosca collaborated with Dr Ferguson on Songs of Inanimate Objects, an exhibition of interactive sonic sculptures.

“These pieces function as instruments for sonic exploration,” Dr Ferguson said.

“It allows people to access sound in a very tactile, intimate way.”

Queensland College of Art Professor of Digital Art, Andrew Brown, and design doctoral candidate Paul Bardini will exhibit Panda Cubes, a stunning sound and light display that debuted at Beijing Design Week last year.

“The Panda Cubes create a forest of objects varying in size, that light up and play music when handled,” Professor Brown said.

“The cubes are designed to intrigue and delight, and audience members are encouraged to walk amongst the cubes and interact with them.

“Their construction involves a range of ‘maker’ processes including laser cut surfaces, 3D printed corners, and programmed music and lights on Arduino-class microelectronics.”

Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre postgraduate fellow Dr Leah Barclay will be running a series of interactive augmented reality sound walks.

Augmented Sounds features sounds positioned around the Powerhouse and along the Brisbane River, allowing people to listen to interactive soundscapes triggered by GPS.

“Looking at the surface of a river, it is virtually impossible to detect environmental changes,” she said.

“Listening to hydrophones (underwater microphones) provides access to a non-invasive way of understanding changing aquatic ecosystems.

“These interactive experiences use creativity, science and new technologies to understand rivers through sound.

“They are designed to inspire people to listen at a time when it’s particularly important to focus on the environment.”

Dr Ferguson said the program was only made possible by cross-disciplinary collaboration across the South Bank campus.

“This is very much a collaboration and a team effort,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic working on something together that encompasses design, art, sculpture and music.”

Curious Music runs from 3pm — 6pm on Saturday 30 March at the Brisbane Powerhouse.