portfolio \ tom allum

Sound designer Tom Allum sits in the studio playing keyboard

A practice of sound design for life.

I make projects to help culture exist where I am. Growing up in Western Australia, I somehow absorbed the idea that culture lived elsewhere. Making music with friends became a way to explore emotion, connection, and belonging.

My practice is shaped by a long-standing fascination with sound and how it connects to people, place and story. Recent work includes Shaun Tan’s Tales From Outer Suburbia (Sound Designer), the large-scale audio storytelling project, Albany Is (Producer) and ambient music releases approaching one million streams.

I began making music as a teenager before formalising my practice at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Since then, my work has expanded across exhibitions, podcasts, film and television, teaching, and ambient composition - alongside parenting two beautiful children who continue to test the limits of my hearing health ❤️

Over time, I’ve come to believe that culture is something we create through shared processes - through listening, exchanging energy and creating works that make their way into the world.