Clocked Out has been on the forefront of all music weird and wonderful for over two decades.

From works for 84 pianos to sound walks (that you can recreate online) to app-controlled kinetic sound sculptures, the duo comprising pianist Erik Griswold and percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson have a long history of experimental exploration and boundary pushing.

Peak Plastique is the latest in that collection of works. A live, audiovisual performance created in collaboration with violinist Anna McMichael, it features 11 original compositions paving a “sonic journey into the world of plastic” – which includes mediations on its environmental impact and an examination of hopes for a more sustainable future.

Anna McMichael, Vanessa Tomlinson and Erik Griswold. Photo © Nick Roux

Peak Plastique is set to premiere this week on 28 March at the Queensland Conservatorium as a part of  the 2025 World Science Festival, and as a recorded album released on the Amsterdam-based label Unsounds.

Ahead of its premiere, Clocked Out speaks to Limelight about using chemical compositions to build rhythms and the ethos behind their works.

How have you developed these works from a choice of plastic into a fully-fledged composition?

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