For over 20 years Clocked Out has created and produced innovative music, interarts, and intercultural events that extend experimental traditions in engaging and thought-provoking ways. 

Starting in Melbourne in 1999, the duo of Erik Griswold and Vanessa Tomlinson crafted their trademark warped grooves and evocative soundscapes, using a colourful array of instruments including prepared piano, percussion, found objects and toys. Drawing on a wide variety of influences from experimental, jazz, and world music, Clocked Out has since played everywhere from Sydney Opera House to Roulette (New York) and Super Deluxe (Tokyo).

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From the beginning they have been community-minded, initiating collaborations and organizing concert series, festivals and tours. Their early projects Dada Cabaret (Two Green Room Awards) and Virtuosic Visions (concert series at Melbourne Museum) brought together experimental musicians from punk, jazz, and classical traditions to present their work in new contexts. After moving to Brisbane in 2003, Clocked Out continued to push boundaries in projects like “Dream, Spill, Fear, Percussion” (collaboration with Speak Percussion), the international Festival of Toy Music, and the cutting edge “Trilling Wire” concert series. They cultivated an interest in music of Sichuan province, studying and collaborating with master musicians, and eventually touring their project “The Wide Alley” around the world. 

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From 2008-2020 they were Ensemble in Residence at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. During their residency they hosted over thirty national and international artists and ensembles, produced more than 30 world premieres, and brought to life over 1,500 minutes of never-before-heard music. Details of the Ensemble in Residence Series can be found in Resonate Magazine.

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Recently they have focused on site-specific, environmental and architectural works, initiating a number of large-scale projects dealing with issues of cultural heritage (Sounding the Condamine), environment and extinction (Sonic Dreams), and acoustics (84 Pianos, Vibrations in a landscape). This body of work has reached a culmination of sorts with the Piano Mill (APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for “Excellence in Experimental Music,” World Architecture Festival Award in “Cultural building” category), a copper-clad tower in the forest of New South Wales purpose-built to house 16 vintage pianos.