Situated 260ft below sea level, this platform has an eerie hollow quiet to it, it’s unsettling and heavy. Despite the intentional geological theme/design of the space (A geological timeline-created from a drilling core sample-runs along the platform walls), there’s no attention to the way the space sounds and therefore feels.
Blending the sounds of native bird and insect species, some of which were recorded in Washington Park, with an ambient mix of overlapping bell-like tones, the sound is designed to maintain the otherworldly and liminal quality of the space, but moving it away from foreboding, and towards a meditative, soft and calming experience. The sounds of native species connect you to the place 260ft above where you wait and either welcome you upon arrival, or see you off.
You can listen to other works that are a part of the Public Works as Public Art series at clintsnow.com/public-works-as-public-art
The art and design work I’ve always connected to most, draws me more fully into myself and more fully into the world. I gravitate towards experiencing and making work that softens the edges of our everyday experience and spaces. Work that is gentle and unassuming. Really, I like when a piece of music, design, art or landscape makes me feel more at home in the world, as if I’m supported and helped along by my environment instead of alienated and aggravated.
This piece is part of a series of work revolving around environmental sound design, specifically, for our everyday environments and public spaces. The series explores some ways our public spaces could sound, and how intentional environmental sound design could soften the hard edges of the places we inhabit. That’s the hope at least.
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