Tuesday, November 23, 2010

SFMOMA 1: Bill Fontana's Sonic Shadows



Three new exhibits opened last week at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. My favorite is on the fifth floor, but you can't actually see it, since the piece is a sound sculpture by Bill Fontana (below left) called "Sonic Shadows."



According to the museum website, "This sound sculpture utilizes ultrasonic speakers and vibration sensors to create an acoustic translation of the dramatic architectural space below the oculus skylight. As visitors cross over the bridge, their footfalls contribute to real-time recordings of ambient sounds."



The piece uses the same modern, ultra-targeted speakers (above) as Fontana's recent installation in San Francisco's City Hall, and features a lot of the same kinds of random, high-pitched sounds which I rather miss hearing while walking under the rotunda.

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