HONG KONG: The Box Theatre at Freespace WestK has unveiled a groundbreaking multisensory exhibition, Time in a Bottle, which highlights its permanent L-ISA immersive audio system from L-Acoustics. Created by award-winning Hong Kong music composer Leon Ko, the exhibition transforms a collection of rare perfume bottles into an artistic journey that seamlessly integrates visual art with live classical performances.

As Hong Kong’s largest black box theatre, The Box can accommodate up to 950 standing or 450 seated guests and features a comprehensive L-ISA immersive audio installation designed to support the venue’s diverse programming. The system comprises two arrays of L-Acoustics ARCS, over 30 units of the X8 speakers configured for surround and height placements, and L-Acoustics Syva units for front-fill and reinforcement of a live classical music sextet.

For Time in a Bottle, renowned sound designers Ha Yan-pui and Jeffrey Yue of Ctrl Fre@k collaborated to harness the venue’s L-ISA capabilities, crafting an immersive audio soundscape for the classical sextet. Their approach focused on natural acoustic reinforcement while upholding modern production values.

Ha, an award-winning sound designer, was eager to explore The Box’s L-ISA technology to present Ko’s artistic vision. “We knew we could leverage the venue’s pre-installed L-Acoustics main, surround, and height system configurations to deliver rich spatial audio that would envelop the audience, especially during the show’s live performance.”

Yue further elaborates on their approach, stating, “We wanted to achieve a natural-sounding immersive mix instead of something jaw-droppingly surreal. The L-ISA technology allowed us to maintain accurate sonic perspective throughout the space, which was particularly crucial given the theatre’s long, narrow configuration and seated audience arrangement.”

The exhibition alternates between live performances that weave a narrative through a collection of thematically decorated perfume bottles and video projections that highlight each bottle’s artistic significance. During gallery viewing sessions, visitors can explore the exhibition at their own pace, accompanied by headphones featuring a binaural mix created directly from the L-ISA engine.

L-ISA technology enabled the team to present the sextet’s sound as if in a naturally familiar concert hall setting. “Usually, for classical music and theatrical applications, you’d want to reinforce the sound of the instrumentalists with a natural emphasis on audio imaging,” Yue explains.

The successful implementation of L-ISA has encouraged The Box’s technical team to further explore the system’s creative possibilities. “We’ve demonstrated that immersive audio can be presented in more ways than one,” Ha notes. “Our creativity and imagination will continue to evolve, allowing us to develop more compelling ideas with the technology.”

The installation was supported by L-Acoustics Certified Provider Rightway Audio Consultants (RAC), whose Hong Kong team provided extensive training to Freespace’s technical staff, ensuring optimal spatial audio delivery for all productions.

Both Ha and Yue believe that the exhibition has opened new avenues for immersive audio in theatrical productions. “Understanding immersive audio is easy for sound designers, but non-audio professionals—such as directors, producers, or even the audience—need more exposure to grasp its benefits fully. They only realise its impact when they experience object localization and movement firsthand,” Ha explains.

Yue concludes, “With Time in a Bottle, we’ve shown that immersive audio can be applied in many ways. This experience will allow us to expand our creative vision and deliver a broader range of immersive audio experiences for theatrical performances in the future.”