In 1970, Shaff and McEachern established Audium in San Francisco, focusing on orchestrating sound in innovative ways. The upcoming Audium VI performances will showcase archival materials, including Shaff's writings and original sound equipment. Shaff reflects personally on discovering memories tied to the archive. The composition of Audium VI, created before Shaff's birth, is described as experimental and unconventional. Victoria Shen, a resident artist, characterized Audium as a distinctive cultural landmark in the city. The current mission is to preserve Audium's unique essence while adapting to modern influences.
"There’s been a lot of memories," Shaff says about working with the archive. He described the process as "almost too personal."
"Dad liked to throw a lot of sounds at his audience," says Shaff. "He's like Jackson Pollock, you know, the painter that just threw paint on the canvas, except he's throwing sounds."
Audium VI was composed 10 years before Shaff was born. He describes it as "pretty funky" and "out of the bounds of ordinary" - but he also resisted the urge to clean up the experimental composition's rough edges.
In 2022, the resident artist Victoria Shen called Audium "one of the last cool, weird, old-school things in San Francisco."
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