A 16-channel generative, site-specific composition installed on the banks of the Willamette River for six weeks in late Summer — a collaboration with sculptor Philip Krohn.

Visitors traveled through a 300-meter boardwalk of undulating wooden forms, woven from salvaged strips and lashed with recycled inner tubes. Beyond, a path led to a grassy point on the river where a 50-foot diameter wooden bench sat among blackberries and wildflowers. From the bench itself, pings, chirps, tones, and waves arced across the air — electronic calls, whistles, and roars mimicking and playing with the existing soundscape of highway traffic, train rumble, birds, crickets, and the shouts of dragonboat crews.

The installation technology was completely hidden — vibrations sent directly into the bench by 16 equally-spaced transducers. Audio panning ranged from slow pulses to random scatterings and audio-rate circling. From the center of the circle, the complex acoustics of each uniquely resonant soundboard created a virtual sonic theater held within the existing soundscape. Lower frequencies could be felt through the body when seated, revealing a new sensorial layer. The generative composition wafted and waned, new voices and combinations emerging gradually. Several musicians chose to perform at the site, improvising with the sounds of the installation.

Zidell Shipyards, Portland OR — August–September 2022.