News Sound Ecologies at the Ogden Museum
A fabricated landscape of cones finds its origins in the ambient sounds of New Orleans. This site specific installation emphasizes the transformation of invisible sound bands and frequencies into an atmosphere landscape made of material and color. The sculptural topography, intricately fabricated from individual pieces, is made of 300 CNC milled acrylic plates that are folded to create cylindrical cells snapped together with 10,000 rivets. Each cell, unique in diameter and height, creates an intriguing visual surface reminiscent of geological or biological surfaces.
Sounds augment the dimension of public space, linking geography with human activity. Our proposal reinterprets the traditional relationship of sound defined by physical space. Rather, the installation offers new spatial possibilities as sound acts as a generator for transforming matter into a complex spatial topography otherwise invisible to the naked eye.
The “soundscape” surface moves around the room, creating a promenade for the visitor. It is like waves. Light and shadow are at play as one’s eyes blur the registration of 300 individual cellular elements against the rich visual experience of their aggregated field. The spectator is invited to ponder the three dimensional iridescent pattern and flows. The resulting effect, with its shifts in color, form, light, and surface, provide the viewer with a compelling, perceptually transformative spatial experience.
Team: Marcella Del Signore, Victor Jones
Benjamin Flatau, Jill Godfrey, Daniel Gorecki, Daniel Kautz, Michael Keller, Culum Osborne, Luis Quinones, William Sandlass, Lorriee Tumlinson
Fabricator: Central City Millworks, New Orleans
A special thanks to Dean Kenneth Schwartz of Tulane University School of Architecture, David Houston of the Ogden Gallery and the TSA community for their unflagging support.
05.18.09
