This Sound Installation by Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger for Europaallee in Zurich opened in September of 2020. Three “soundstone” loudspeakers play back city noise that has been transformed into a soundfield of harmony. It all happens in real-time. Harmonic … continue reading
Odland & Auinger (O+A)
Sound artists Bruce Odland from New York and Sam Auinger from Berlin, have been working together for over 30 years. They’ve developed a Hearing Perspective of the world we live in. They make installations in public space to encourage people to “think with their ears”. O+A have a dedicated site.
Reflections on the Sonic Commons
Requiem for Fossil Fuel
O+A, Thessaloniki, documenta 14, 2017
O+A performed their Requiem, as part of documenta 14, in the Rotunda of Galerius (300AD), Thessaloniki Greece. The acoustics were perfect.
“Orchestra of City resonances” by Sam Auinger played live. Audience surrounded virtuoso singers: Sarah … continue reading
Harmonic Bridge: 1998-present
In 1997, before MASSMoCA opened, Director Joe Thompson decided to activate the town of North Adams with sound art.
O+A noticed that the town and museum were divided by Highway 2 overpass, and the resulting road noise coming from the … continue reading
Tonic
O+A, West Hollywood
A real time sound installation that transforms street noise into harmonic sounds from the bus stop at the south-east corner of the intersection, creating a psycho-acoustic effect in public space in real time. The sound of traffic … continue reading
Harmonic Conduit
Harmonic Conduit links two communities in Boston. Northeastern University and Lower Roxbury now connect through sound art in the Ruggles Station.
Odland and Auinger (O+A) tap into the soundscapes of each community, choosing recording locations that highlight economic disparity. The … continue reading
Symphony of Resonances
O+A, Thessaloniki, documenta 14, 2017
Tuning the Ruins played in the ruins of the Palace of Galarius, an emperor who once ruled all of the Roman Empire. Today the ruins sprawl three blocks in between 60s and 70s apartment buildings. … continue reading
Quiet is the New Loud
O+A, Brugges Triennale, 2015
O+A were invited by the festival curators to create a large scale sound installation for the city center of Brugges, Belgium. They decided to bring to attention the city’s remarkable quietude In this noisy world, quiet … continue reading
my eyes…..my ears……
O+A explore the politics of the senses – the offer made to our eyes and ears by the world our culture has built. This searing 40 minute performance is both a critique of urban design and a call to action.… continue reading
Sonic Vista
O+A, Frankfurt, Germany 2011 – to present
For the 20th anniversary of Frankfurt Germany’s famed greenbelt, O+A created a real-time sound installation on a historic railroad bridge over the Main River. They transformed the sounds of the city into harmony, … continue reading
Composing a Symphony of the Streets
Wall Street Journal – Steve Dollar
Two musicians combine the noises of the city and a traditional mass for a modern urban soundscape.
Source: Composing a Symphony of the Streets… continue reading
Sounds of the city: urban noise hits right note
Irish Times
TWO COMPOSERS have found a way to take the discordant “soundscape” of a city and turn it into a form of music. It transforms the buzz of cars, aircraft and clatter of light railways into tones that have … continue reading
City Ears, 1996, O+A
For the MANCA Festival in Nice, France, Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger (O+A) created an architectural sound performance.
Custom parabolic speakers beamed sound which bounced off the iconic Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art building. Sonic reflections were distinctly perceptible … continue reading
StadTraum, 1991, O+A
For the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s death, Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger created a performance installation, StadTraum. It was a composition in four movements performed at the heart of Salzburg. An audience of 20,000 attended. Sound came from mountaintops, … continue reading
Garden of Time-Dreaming, 1990, O+A
In honor of astronomer Johannes Kepler, O+A created a sound cosmology, Garden of Time Dreaming. On the 400th anniversary of the city of Linz in Austria, this cosmology played throughout the gardens of the Castle of Linz. 400,000 visitors … continue reading