Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio has entered a new era with their new city location and an epic reimagining of James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
After years in North Melbourne, MESS has moved to the heart of the city – the Atrium at Fed Square. Studio sessions and workshops are running at the new address now, and the timing couldn’t be better: MESS is about to play a starring role in one of 2026’s most ambitious live cinema events.
Catch up on all the latest features and interviews here.
For those unfamiliar, MESS is a not-for-profit housing over 1,000 eclectic and historically significant electronic musical instruments – the largest publicly available collection in the Southern Hemisphere. But calling it just a collection undersells it: MESS exists to connect people and creativity, giving hands-on access to museum-grade gear and building community around making music.
Their philosophy is simple: music is for everyone, and life’s too short not to make it. ESS offers artist-led support to get you into the collection and involved in the creative process, from entry-level workshops to specialised sound design courses, school programmes and member gatherings, each one open to anyone curious about making sound.
Beyond the programmes, MESS hosts live performances and artist residencies. Its biannual multichannel commission series Sonorous has produced 20 new octophonic works so far and become a highlight of Melbourne’s electronic music calendar, while the MESS Synthesiser Orchestra (MSO) puts a big chunk of the collection into play at once.
While the creative process is often isolating, MESS invites people to connect, and the new Fed Square location amplifies this mission considerably.
MESS meets Terminator 2
MESS’s first major outing from their new home comes courtesy of Hear My Eyes, Australia’s pioneer live cinema collective. Next February and March, the MESS Synthesiser Ensemble will help reimagine James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day for its 35th anniversary, giving the sci-fi classic its first-ever live electronic score. Pretty huge.
Belgian electronic artist Peter Van Hoesen is on composition and performance duties, transforming his typically solo live sets into an expansive ensemble piece featuring MESS’s rare vintage synthesisers and modular systems. Van Hoesen’s immersive, hardware-driven work perfectly echoes Terminator 2‘s central themes of humanity, technology, and our increasingly blurred relationship with machines.
“What excites me most about the Hear My Eyes concept is the performative aspect – it’s one thing to compose a score, but another entirely to bring it to life in front of an audience,” Van Hoesen explains. “T2 had a huge impact on me when it was released, and it remains a timeless film. My approach to this project is to create something completely electronic that amplifies the emotion and intensity already present on screen.”
Internationally renowned audio-visual artist Robin Fox completes the lineup with his signature laser artistry. Having previously collaborated with Hear My Eyes on Hellraiser, Fox’s visual language transforms cinematic environments into illuminated shows that enhance rather than overwhelm the on-screen action.
“My vision for Terminator 2 is to weave the lasers into the cinematic experience rather than overwhelm it – to make precise, deliberate choices that heighten key moments,” Fox reveals. “We’ve been exploring the motif of ‘eyes’ throughout the film, finding ways to echo that visually, and there’ll be a few immersive moments where the audience really feels pulled into the action.”
This focus on vision feels particularly apt given T2’s obsession with seeing clearly – from the Terminator’s red-tinted HUD to Sarah Connor’s prophetic nightmares. Fox’s laser work promises to expand these themes into the physical space, creating blurred boundaries between screen and audience.
Released in 1991, T2 remains one of the most influential films ever made. The film is a cultural milestone that redefined science fiction, visual effects, and blockbuster storytelling. Cameron’s meditation on humanity and technology resonates even more powerfully in 2025, an era defined by artificial intelligence and questions about what separates human creativity from machine capability.
“Terminator 2 excites everyone: cinephiles, film buffs, mainstream audiences and young viewers discovering it for the first time,” says Haydn Green, Artistic Director of Hear My Eyes. “It’s both accessible and cerebral with a perfect blend of emotion, intellect and spectacle. Next year’s T2 premiere also marks our 52nd HME screening since our inception in 2015, and it feels like a defining moment for us.”
The collaboration between Hear My Eyes, Peter Van Hoesen, MESS, and Robin Fox offers something rare: a chance to experience a cultural milestone through an entirely new perspective. Van Hoesen’s hardware-driven approach, amplified by MESS’s extraordinary instrument collection, promises to create something completely electronic that serves the film’s emotional core.
Getting involved with MESS
Sounds like something you’re into? MESS offers multiple entry points, including starter passes and memberships for immediate access to the collection. MESS also offers workshops and courses to help unlock the creative potential of over 1,000 instruments. The new Fed Square location makes dropping in easier than ever, too.
Performances of Terminator 2 run from the 26th to the 28th of February at Hamer Hall in Melbourne and on 7th March at Sydney’s City Recital Hall. Tickets are available now through Arts Centre Melbourne and City Recital Hall websites.
For the Melbourne shows, audiences will witness MESS performing just a short walk from their new Fed Square home – a fitting debut for an organisation entering its most public and ambitious phase yet.
