Devon Turnbull & Karimoku Furniture create listening room installation in Tokyo
Presented at the Karimoku Research Center, Sound House combines handcrafted speakers, furniture & architectural acoustics that revolve around the Japanese concept of “ma”
New York-based audio designer Devon Turnbull has partnered with Japanese furniture maker Karimoku to create a dedicated listening environment for the exhibition Between Space and Sound (Ma no Oto), on view at the Karimoku Research Center from February 21 to June 5, 2026.
The collaboration centres on a purpose-built installation called Sound House. Inspired by a traditional tea room, it frames music listening as a spatial experience rather than simply a technical one.
Turnbull, who runs the OJAS audio project and has built systems for venues, stores, galleries and private collectors, worked closely with Karimoku’s woodworkers to translate his speaker designs into wood-based furniture pieces.
Read this next: The Mixmag Asia Music Guide: Japan
At the centre of the exhibition sits the Sound House; a compact listening room loosely modelled on the proportions and atmosphere of a traditional Japanese tea room.
Inside, tatami mats, acoustic panels and sliding screens dampen outside noise, creating a controlled environment for a turntable and a pair of Turnbull’s Rokujo speakers.
The installation also engages with the Japanese concept of “ma”, often described as the interval or space between elements. On their website, Karimoku explains that ma refers to “distance and space across multiple realms: the physical, the temporal (or rhythmic), and the physiological”.
Read this next: Tokyo’s music cafés take centre stage in A Century in Sound documentary
The exhibition also introduces a family of speakers developed through the collaboration: Sanjo, Rokujo and Nurikabe.
Built using Karimoku’s veneer work and advanced 3D machining techniques, the systems are paired with a modular seating system designed by Turnbull, positioning listeners closer to the floor and echoing the posture of traditional listening spaces.
For more information on Between Space & Sound (Ma no Oto), head here.
Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.
Cut through the noise—sign up for our weekly Scene Report or follow us on Instagram to get the latest from Asia and the Asian diaspora!
