(02)    bio



L Wheeler is a multi-disciplinary artist, creating things with sound and other materials under the pseudonym [umki] and other project aliases, working primarily on unceded Ngunnawal and Ngambri land. L’s works within the mediums of voice, sound art, music production, DJing, graphic design and digital art. 

L’s sound and visual works interrogate inner worlds, exploring imagined landscapes, dreams, connection, locality and virtuality; sounds often kaleiding in maximalist, post-club, euphoric wonder, then finding resolve in ambient textural organics. Recent events programming has seen them work with the likes of artists such as Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote (Naarm/AUS), Ana Roxanne (USA), Third Space (Naarm) and Chun Yin Rainbow Chan (Eora). 

Through the intersection of these formats and their focus on community focused events programming, they developed the [portal] collective, which operates as a freelance creative agency fulfilling a broad schedule of diverse and inclusive music+arts related events. 

 

    recent work — projects

(02)    selected performances

            2024 NFSA + Church — Nai Palm
            2024 DAY ONE — with OK EG, Hybrid Man
            2023 Orbit/Portal/Ciruit Benders — CS + Kreme ‘Orange’ LP Release for NTS and Trilogy Tapes
            2022 portal “(protect)” — Third Space and chun yin rainbow CHAN陳雋然
                      (hybrid electronic set)
            2022 sw.inhouse — with Big Yawn (live set)
            2022 sw.inhouse — with Middle Name Dance Band + Sampology (live set)
            2022 Micah Heathwood, “Club OOF” — (hybrid electronic set)
            2022 Genie Stuart, “Club bLiP - 01” — with Volta Hymn (live set)
            2022 portal pres. “Baraka: an immersive screening”  
                      (dj set/overdub/soundtrack experimenting)
            2019 (ongoing) Australian National University — ceremony performances
                      (live, vocal)

(03)    selected exhibitions/live audio works

             2023 ALTER EGO, National Portrait Gallery, Heaps Gay — live audio
            2022 HYPERSPECTRAL, cur. Maddie Hepner — live audio
            2022 While You Were Sleeping Vol 2., @ aMBUSH Gallery — live audio
            2022 IMMATERIAL [001] cur. Gabriela Williams, @ sideway — live audio
            2022 portal — live audio/meditations


(04)    stage design, curation and installation

            202x portal 
                       lead facilitator
            2022 INFINITY WORM, Electronic Music Festival, with Amber Kerr
                       stage design, environmental art and installation
            2022 burnia XXXL pt.2 with djg2g, Eora
                       exhibited audio/visual work with niph
            2020 (ongoing) sideway
                        stage design, curation and installation


(05)    other work and things
 
            2022  Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Music — Australian National University
            2020  Yoga Teacher Certification — Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh, India
            2019   Christel Larko Music Scholarship — ANU School of Music


            2022   National Gallery of Australia | Learning and Digital, Education
                         Emerging Learning Facilitator

                         facilitation, self-directed research and development in public programming across First Nations, Access, Kids & Families, and Youth portfolios
                         
            2020   sideway (ongoing)
                         promotion, programming, stage + lighting, safe space facilitator,
                         hospitality, customer experience

            2022   church | public service
                         visual merchandising, buying, retail sales
                         currently developing a regular dj/sound workshops

    sound previews/demos