museum of arts & design integrates visitor into multi-sensory sound exhibit

the museum of arts and design has curated an exhibition dedicated to creating a multi-sensory, interactive sound installation titled ‘sonic arcade: shaping space with sound.’ the immersive environment explores ‘how the ephemeral and abstract nature of sound is made material.’ through the work of over twenty individual artists, the three-floor exhibition explores sound as a substance that travels through electronic circuits and signals.

installation view of ‘MSHR’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom

‘sonic arcade assembles artists, designers, and performers who utilize sound as a material, activating its potential to shape space and environment, while drawing out the ability of the auditory to provide a fresh perspective on how surroundings, and the body, are perceived and engaged,‘ describes the head curator, shannon r. stratton.

installation view of ‘MSHR’s ‘knotted gate presence weave’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom

highlights include an installation by music and art collective, MSHR, who has created a digitally-designed modular sculpture for the exhibition that combines hand-built synthesizers, lights, mirrors, and digital prints. the artwork transforms the space into a ‘knotted gate presence weave’ in which the visitor becomes an integral part of the circuitry system. MSHR’s installation is described as a series of archways functioning as metaphorical ‘gates’ in reference to a logic gate — an elementary building block of a digital circuit that regulates the flow of electricity through an input of binary values.

installation view of MSHR’s ‘knotted gate presence weave’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom

studio PSK, located in london, has installed a child-like playground that uses conductive materials to create large scale, body-activated MIDI controllers. the installation, acting as an instrument, has inspired performance-based works from local artists who have personally interacted with the installation during regular museum hours. the museum’s visitors are able to watch, participate and discuss the artwork with the artists as they interact with the work.

installation view of’ MSHR’s ‘knotted gate presence weave’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom

following this same trend of interactive technology, naama tsabar presents ‘propagation (opus 3)’. integrated into the architecture, the artwork uses a series of sound holes, strings, and bridges, that turn the museum into an enormous instrument. overall, the work explores how personal experiences are altered by outside digital and analogue manipulation and how the body can physically activate a space.

installation view of ‘naama tsabar’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom

foo/skou’s installation, a collaboration between louise foo and martha skou, allows visitors to experience sound through digital graphics. using a smartphone, an individual is able to compose a sound experience throughout the museum floors and stairwells. through the format 3 app and touch receptive features, the graphics can be transformed into a musical score, composed of the eighty-one sound symbols that make up the artwork’s virtual alphabet.

installation view of ‘naama tsabar’
image courtesy of the museum of arts and design | image by jenna bascom