One of the great perks of working in the arts at Wesleyan is the music—music unlike any I’d ever heard before, music by Alvin Lucier, who can pick up a pencil box or a tape recorder and change the way you think about sound.
In a recent Art Agenda interview, choreographer Anne Carlson defined dance as “intentional movement.” Alvin Lucier first blew my mind with a piece called “I am sitting in a room”—a landmark electro-acoustic work of the 21st century—performed at a Sol Lewitt installation in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery, that included un-intentional sound, or at least unpredictable sound.
I was reminded of this performance last week, due to several media stories about David Byrne and his new project for Creative Time. Byrne’s project also involves a room and music, used to dramatic effect. He has combined an antique pump organ and a 9,000 sq ft space within a historic ferry terminal to create a giant, music-making instrument unlike any other.
My favorite part about it? Is that anyone can play. The erratic sound also means that virtuosos and novices have equal opportunity to sound good (or bad).
Just in case there is a room in your house that would be better served as a musical instrument, Design news, a publication for engineers, gets technical in their description of “Playing the Building,” and has lots of good pics.