Fairground rides usually ask visitors to look. Yuri Suzuki asks them to listen. Her solo exhibition, Yuri Suzuki: Onomatopia, uses five fairground-inspired dioramas to make sound the main subject of public space. These dioramas turn familiar rides into listening spaces.
The sound art exhibition runs at Osh Gallery, inside Pentagram’s London headquarters at The Old Sorting House, 46 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, from November 10, 2026, to January 7, 2027. The gallery is commissioning the show, and it is curated by Suzuki and Vicky Richardson, founder of Pick Up Architecture and former Head of Architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts.
The exhibition takes its starting point from Thomas More’s 1516 book Utopia, mid-century World Expos, and theme parks such as EPCOT. Its target is visual dominance in contemporary design. The project critiques visual dominance in contemporary design by prioritizing acoustic space.
Five prototypes, not finished rides
The exhibition centers on five physical dioramas. They are model scenes that act as prototypes for larger public acoustic works. The five are The Roller-Coaster (Coaster of Sounds), The Ferris Wheel, The Dodgems, The Helter-Skelter, and The Sonic Carousel.
Each prototype in this set reinterprets a classic fairground attraction as a kinetic sound structure. Builders assembled them from modular networks of pigmented industrial piping, vertical collection funnels, and directional acoustic horns. Each one carries its own sound composition.
Sound-led installations in London show how a space can be built around listening, not just looking. Lee Broom’s Chant Chambers at London Design Festival offers a useful comparison for anyone interested in these immersive public works.
The Roller-Coaster expands on Coaster of Sounds (Onomatopoeia Series), a modular installation that was previously exhibited at the 2025 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. The version at Osh Gallery builds on that earlier work rather than debuting it.
Supporting material and the film
Alongside the dioramas, the gallery displays process models, recorded audio tracks, and archival references. These include a 2001 Walt Disney World map and an Åbäke map of Margate. The references trace how planners have mapped and shaped leisure space over time.
A short film directed by Dylan Hayes documents the mechanical movement and soundscapes of the assemblies. Max Conran served as director of photography, Tamara Ishida edited the film, and Lois Chapman handled color.
The production team also included Christopher Kidall Park, Robert Poll, Maki Suzuki, Dylan Hayes, and Theodor-Alexandru Petrea. Chris Kidall Park and Mel Castro Duarte took the installation photographs.
The artist‘s case for fairground acoustic dioramas
Suzuki frames the project as a counterweight to sight-first design. “Sound can be a powerful tool for good and bad, but it is often overlooked in a world that is dominated by visual culture,” the artist said. “My Onomatopian dioramas use the forms that create sound to build a landscape of escape, from where we can look back at reality and consider how we want the world to be.”
The artist’s own website describes Onomatopia as a sonic amusement park where acoustic architecture becomes an instrument. The exhibition makes that idea concrete through these works, which show how the shapes that produce sound might also shape a public place.
Where and when can visitors see Yuri Suzuki’s Onomatopia exhibition?
The exhibition runs at Osh Gallery, inside Pentagram’s London headquarters at The Old Sorting House, 46 Essex Road, London N1 8LN. It is open from November 10, 2026, to January 7, 2027.
What are the five dioramas featured in Onomatopia?
The five dioramas are The Roller-Coaster (Coaster of Sounds), The Ferris Wheel, The Dodgems, The Helter-Skelter, and The Sonic Carousel. Each one reinterprets a classic fairground attraction as a kinetic sound structure.
What materials were used to build the fairground dioramas?
Builders assembled the dioramas from modular networks of pigmented industrial piping, vertical collection funnels, and directional acoustic horns. Each prototype also carries its own sound composition.
What is the main idea behind the Onomatopia exhibition?
The exhibition critiques visual dominance in contemporary design by prioritizing acoustic space, asking visitors to listen rather than look. Artist Yuri Suzuki frames it as a counterweight to sight-first design.
