Seth Cluett is a composer and artist whose quiet, patient music explores the territory between the senses, with a compelling attention to perception. His work is driven by themes of ecological collapse and resilience, often expressed through materials found in nature. Ranging from photography and drawing to installation, concert music, and critical writing, his “subtle… seductive, immersive” (Artforum) sound work has been characterized as “rigorously focused and full of detail” (e/i) and “dramatic, powerful, and at one with nature” (The Wire). His research interests and critical writings investigate embodiment, sound in virtual and augmented reality, the media history of the loudspeaker, and computational creativity.
The recipient of grants from Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Fund and Meet the Composer, his work has been presented internationally at venues such as The Whitney Museum, MoMA/PS1, Moving Image Art Fair, CONTEXT Art Miami, GRM, and STEIM. His concert work has been commissioned by ensembles ranging from the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the International Contemporary Ensemble to So Percussion, Catch Guitar Quartet, and Clogs and is documented on Line, Sedimental, Notice, and Winds Measure recordings. From May 2017 to May 2026, Cluett served as Artist-in-Residence at Nokia Bell Labs and this fall will join the faculty of Contemporary Creative Practices faculty as Assistant Professor of Sound Media in the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University.
