It seemed apt that Adam Simmons chose to perform his large-scale suite The Usefulness of Art in a space generally devoted to art and theatre, rather than in one of Melbourne’s jazz clubs. Incorporating visual design by Christine Crawshaw and Diokno Pasilan – wooden chairs hung from the ceiling amidst billowing clouds, recalling both a Duchamp readymade and a Magritte still life – the concert was imbued with more than a touch of theatricality.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Simmons is clearly drawn to staging ambitious events. In November 2015, he performed 100 improvised duos with Australian musicians over twenty-five consecutive nights at Conduit Arts in Brunswick, Fitzroy. The Usefulness of Art is part of a cycle of three musical projects being staged in 2017 at fortyfivedownstairs (Concerto for Piano and Toy Band, featuring Michael Kieran Harvey, was performed in March; Travelling Tales is scheduled for December), with a further two planned for 2018. A CD box set, documenting the performances, is in the offing.