Alan Lamb

Born in Edinburgh in 1944, Alan Lamb spent most of his life in Western Australia, working as a biomedical research scientist — he held a PhD in neurophysiology from the University of Edinburgh — while developing a singular practice in sound art. He is best known for large-scale aeolian installations using contact microphones to capture the vibrations of kilometre-long telegraph wires on a twelve-acre property in Baldivis, south of Perth. His album Primal Image documents these recordings, and his collaboration with Sarah Hopkins, Sky Song, was released on Vox Australis in 1989. Further recordings appeared on the Dorobo label. He died in Perth on 19 April 2025, aged 81.