"SWIRL" back to projects page

Our interest in seeking optimal situations for the application of a multi-channel format has led us beyond the "white box" of a typical gallery. The most successful of these examinations have combined appropriate representational sounds with effective volume levels and an overall atmospheric enhancement of the chosen environment. (see "Flutter") We are proposing a project called SWIRL, which is to be installed inside the Guggenheim Museum located on Fifth Avenue. The piece is a 72-channel surround sound installation consisting of the sounds of various types of balls rolling. The texture and structure of the composition will mimic a traditional symphony with four sections and a cyclic technique. The downward spiral of sonic motion plays on the cubist pictorial concept of "objects moving in space." While articulating and yielding to the unusual shape of the building, the piece achieves a complete synthesis of objective sound and physical space. Copyright 2001 SONTEXT