What is a sound-absorbing painting?

A painting whose painted surface lets sound through. Behind it sits about four centimetres of sound-absorbing material, which takes the sound in rather than reflecting it back. On the wall it is an artwork; acoustically it behaves as absorption.

Does it stop noise from the neighbours?

No. It reduces reverberation and reflection within a room, which makes voices easier to follow and the space calmer. Sound arriving from outside or from next door stays audible; that needs building insulation, not an artwork.

How much surface is needed?

It depends on the size of the room, how many hard surfaces it has and what soft material is already there. In a large, hard room one work of a metre does less than a series covering a whole wall. Describe the room and we will work it out with you.

Which rooms is it for?

Rooms where people talk and the walls are hard: living rooms and open stairwells, offices and meeting rooms, practices and waiting rooms, restaurants and reception areas.

Can a work be made to measure?

Yes. We agree size, colour and composition together and set them to the room; for most commissions that is the starting point. A commissioned work begins with the place and the measurements, not with an existing painting. Whether it becomes a commission depends on the theme: it has to suit both of us equally well.

What does a sound-absorbing painting cost?

It depends on the size, on the acoustic build and on whether it becomes one work or a series across a whole wall. Every work is made for one room, so the price is settled per commission: send a few photographs with the dimensions and a proposal follows, with the price and the lead time.

Sound-absorbing paintings

Art with a function

A detail of gold-coloured metal leaf on a blue painted surface. — Gold-coloured metal leaf on a painted surface

Why rooms echo

Glass, concrete, plaster, poured floors and large windows are the materials of most modern interiors. They are hard and smooth, which means sound reflects off them almost entirely.

Those reflections build into reverberation: sound that hangs in the room after it was made. You hear it as a hollow ring. Voices become harder to follow, a meeting takes more energy, and a restaurant or living room feels restless without anyone being able to say quite why.

A detail of gold-coloured metal leaf on a red-orange surface.

“I didn’t want the wall only to look beautiful.I wanted it to work as well.”

How the work is built

Behind a sound-permeable painted surface sits roughly four centimetres of sound-absorbing material. Sound passes through the painted layer, is taken up by the material, and does not return to the room as a reflection.

The image itself is acrylic, mixed media and gold-coloured metal leaf. Metal responds to light differently from pigment: where the surface takes sound in, the metal gives light back to the room. The colours therefore keep changing, with the angle of the daylight and with where you stand: a work looks different in the morning from how it looks late in the afternoon.

The paintings are not acoustic wall panels: they do the same acoustic work, and they also do what colour and light do in a room.

What it does, and does not

A sound-absorbing painting reduces reverberation and unwanted reflections inside a room. It does not soundproof: noise from outside or from neighbours stays audible. That needs building insulation, not an artwork.

How much you hear depends on the surface area of the work, the size of the room and what other soft materials are present. In a large, hard room a single one-metre work does less than a series spanning a whole wall.

Where it belongs

Anywhere people talk and the room is hard:

Living rooms, kitchens and open stairwells
Offices, meeting rooms and conference spaces
Practices, waiting rooms and consulting rooms
Restaurants, hotels and receptions
Public and cultural spaces

Size and price

Work made to measure is the rule rather than the exception: we agree size, colour and arrangement together and set them to the room. A conversation becomes a commission when the theme suits both of us equally well.

Sizes run from one metre by one metre to a metre and a half. For a whole wall it becomes a series, or an installation made to measure.

What a work costs depends on its size and on the acoustic build. The price is set out in a proposal beforehand, with the lead time; shipping and installation are agreed separately. Every commission starts with a deposit of 50%.

Common questions

What is a sound-absorbing painting?: A painting whose painted surface lets sound through. Behind it sits about four centimetres of sound-absorbing material, which takes the sound in rather than reflecting it back. On the wall it is an artwork; acoustically it behaves as absorption.
Does it stop noise from the neighbours?: No. It reduces reverberation and reflection within a room, which makes voices easier to follow and the space calmer. Sound arriving from outside or from next door stays audible; that needs building insulation, not an artwork.
How much surface is needed?: It depends on the size of the room, how many hard surfaces it has and what soft material is already there. In a large, hard room one work of a metre does less than a series covering a whole wall. Describe the room and we will work it out with you.
Which rooms is it for?: Rooms where people talk and the walls are hard: living rooms and open stairwells, offices and meeting rooms, practices and waiting rooms, restaurants and reception areas.
Can a work be made to measure?: Yes. We agree size, colour and composition together and set them to the room; for most commissions that is the starting point. A commissioned work begins with the place and the measurements, not with an existing painting. Whether it becomes a commission depends on the theme: it has to suit both of us equally well.
What does a sound-absorbing painting cost?: It depends on the size, on the acoustic build and on whether it becomes one work or a series across a whole wall. Every work is made for one room, so the price is settled per commission: send a few photographs with the dimensions and a proposal follows, with the price and the lead time.

Reviews

“Dorota heeft een prachtig akoestisch schilderij met planeten voor ons gemaakt. Heel erg blij en tevreden met de samenwerking, die we als warm en persoonlijk hebben ervaren. De problemen met de akoestiek in onze nieuwbouwwoning zijn opgelost. Dorota denkt mee, geeft tips, biedt oplossingen en staat open voor specifieke vragen en wensen. Ook het ter plekke passen met schilderijen is mogelijk en was heel erg helpend. We genieten nog meer van onze woning.”

Translation

Dorota made a beautiful acoustic painting with planets for us. Very happy and very pleased with the collaboration, which we found warm and personal. The problems with the acoustics in our new-build house have been solved. Dorota thinks along with you, gives tips, offers solutions and is open to specific questions and wishes. Trying paintings out in the room itself is possible too, and it helped a great deal. We enjoy our home even more.

M. Kroes, review on Google

“Ik ben heel blij met mijn Mars planeet, een akoestisch en geluidsabsorberend kunstwerk. Ik zag deze als eerste op een expositie in Amsterdam. De warmte en kracht bleef maar in mijn hoofd zitten, de planeet heeft een echte aantrekkingskracht. Een paar weken later ben ik naar het atelier van Doroart in Arnhem gegaan, om nog één keer te kijken. Maar toen wist ik het zeker, deze wilde ik hebben. Het staat prachtig thuis, heeft de akoestiek verbeterd en straalt warmte uit.”

Translation

I am very happy with my Mars planet, an acoustic, sound-absorbing artwork. I saw it for the first time at an exhibition in Amsterdam. The warmth and the power of it kept going round in my head; the planet has a real pull to it. A few weeks later I went to the Doroart studio in Arnhem to take one more look. But then I knew for certain: this was the one I wanted. It looks beautiful at home, it has improved the acoustics and it radiates warmth.

Jeroen Groenveld, review on Google