David Byrne is a legendary eccentric. His time with the Talking Heads challenged a distracted and frivolous mainstream with thought provoking music and lyrics. Member of The Church of the SubGenius and well decorated artist in many outlets, Byrne is now coming out with a project considered to be an art installation, but something that reaches far beyond hanging a few canvases.
He has turned the Battery Maritime Building in New York into a musical instrument. With a revamped antique pedal organ focused in the center of the large space, colorful tubes lead all over the building, connecting the instrument to the buildings inner workings. Playing the organ triggers different sounds throughout the building, like clanging pipes or vibrating ceiling beams.
The installation first appeared in Stockholm, Sweden a number of years ago, but will now be in New York through August. The show opened to a warm reception with surprisingly tenative New Yorkers curiously looking at the set up before eventually trying it out.
"When people sit down they start looking around and noticing that when they play, different things start happening around the space," Byrne said of his creation. "It's really that moment when people just see that they're doing it themselves, that's a really wonderful moment. You can see it in people's faces."
For more on this installation, and other works from David Byrne, check his blog
DavidByrne.com - Art - Playing the Building
He has turned the Battery Maritime Building in New York into a musical instrument. With a revamped antique pedal organ focused in the center of the large space, colorful tubes lead all over the building, connecting the instrument to the buildings inner workings. Playing the organ triggers different sounds throughout the building, like clanging pipes or vibrating ceiling beams.
The installation first appeared in Stockholm, Sweden a number of years ago, but will now be in New York through August. The show opened to a warm reception with surprisingly tenative New Yorkers curiously looking at the set up before eventually trying it out.
"When people sit down they start looking around and noticing that when they play, different things start happening around the space," Byrne said of his creation. "It's really that moment when people just see that they're doing it themselves, that's a really wonderful moment. You can see it in people's faces."
For more on this installation, and other works from David Byrne, check his blog
DavidByrne.com - Art - Playing the Building
