Aeolian City, Nocturne 2022
Aeolian City is a site-responsive auditory installation. In this first iteration of the project, 9 wind-activated “harps” were installed in various locations in Halifax, NS as part of the 15th annual Nocturne: Art at Night festival (October 13-15 2022).
Aeolian vibrations (named for Aeolus, the Greek god of the wind) are the source of the sound: Strings of equal length and varying thicknesses are strung and tuned to the same pitch. When they vibrate in the wind they produce mysterious harmonic overtones which float and dissipate into the general soundscape, at times consumed or overridden by the noise of the city. The artwork itself is carried in the air, resonating and alive, ephemeral and intermittent.
The visually subtle components were installed throughout the city, creating a network of auditory experience for those walking the city streets. Printed maps were made available at Propeller Brewery (2015 Gottingen St.), the MacPhee Centre (50 Queen St.), and the Downtown Halifax Business Commission (1546 Barrington St.) indicating the various installation locations, as well as a PDF version which is still available for download on this page.
“Sound is intrinsically and unignorably relational: it emanates, propagates, communicates, vibrates, and agitates; it leaves a body and enters others; it binds and unhinges, harmonizes and traumatizes; it sends the body moving, the mind dreaming, the air oscillating. It seemingly eludes definition, while having profound effect.”
Brandon LaBelle. 2015. Background Noise, Second Edition : Perspectives on Sound Art. Vol. Second edition. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.
Download a PDF version of the Aeolian City Guide Map below!
or click here to check out a list of all 9 locations on Google Maps
NSCAD Student Art Award Showcase/Gala — Aeolian City (Halifax Seaport), 2023
This work was selected as one of “ten finalists of the 2023 NSCAD Student Art Award. This award recognizes and promotes exceptional work made by NSCAD students across ten disciplines at the university. The winning artist receives a $5,000 purchase prize, with the artwork added to a special section of the permanent President’s Collection at NSCAD University. Nine finalists receive $1,000 each. This premier award provides young artists with vital visibility as they embark on their careers.”NSCAD Univeristy
https://nscad.ca/nscad-announces-the-2023-student-art-award-finalists/: Aeolian City 2022-23
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