Historical Inspirations

Music and architecture have cross-pollinated innovative forms and experiences for millennia. Key historical exemplars include the acoustic qualities of Greek and Roman amphitheaters, intentional reverberation in cathedral design, and Wagner’s sinking of the orchestra pit at the Bayreuth Opera House to remove the performing musicians from the audience’s line of sight.

In the mid-20th century, Iannis Xenakis– himself both architect and composer– collaborated with the electroacoustic pioneer Edgard Varèse on the Philips Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World Fair Expo. The pavilion was simultaneously an architectural and a musical work, as it featured a custom audio installation for presenting Varèse’s Poème électronique. You can play the music at the link while admiring the image below to get a sense of how visitors might have experienced it.

I am currently investigating an art series based on the idea of Virtual Music Environments. These will be downloadable VR apps for immersing oneself in an architectural vision designed to support more intentional listening habits. Instead of playing music in the background of some activity, such as while exercising, cooking, walking the dog or driving, listening while being immersed in a virtual environment via head-mounted display will foster a deeper connection to music as it will challenge listeners to take time out from their packed schedules and make some ‘alone time’ for art.

The first virtual music environments would likely be silent, which allows users to curate playlists and develop their own musical contemplative practices. Later art apps might explore tighter integration between musical and architectural visions.