The sound of art
The entrance to Woldenberg Art Center on the Newcomb Place emits eerie music. Alumna Jane Cassidy"s art installation piece there, “Knew Enough to Know Better,” is one of 12 sound-art installations currently displayed on the uptown campus. (Photo by Paula Burch-Celentano)
When the sun sets and foot traffic slows at the Newcomb Place entrance to the Woldenberg Art Center on the Tulane University uptown campus, a sole hanging light illuminates the steps and an eerie sound can be heard. The music evokes a feeling of relaxation which is just what artist Jane Cassidy, who earned a Master of Fine Arts from Tulane in 2014, intended.
Cassidy"s piece, “Knew Enough to Know Better,” is one of 12 sound-art installations currently displayed on the uptown campus.
“The sound cannot go unnoticed as one moves through the space. It feels thick and present and begs the viewer to stall and have a listen.”—Jane Cassidy, artist
The installations are part of Bamboula/NOLA, a participating exhibition in the Prospect New Orleans international contemporary art biennial, which continues through Jan. 25, 2015.
The central stairway to the art center was the first location that came to mind, said Cassidy, when she was asked to create a site-central piece. The location offers a great view of campus and it works well acoustically with the music.
Lisa Hooper, head of Howard-Tilton Memorial Library"s Music and Media Center, helped organize the Bamboula/NOLA exhibition.
“Bamboula/NOLA is built on our recently established "Sounds of Louisiana Digital Collection," which serves as an auditory record of the plethora of sounds that are culturally, geographically and architecturally unique to the region,” said Hooper.
“The digital collection will allow anyone to upload their own sounds as well as download sound files that can be incorporated into their work.”
In addition to Hooper, the exhibit was coordinated by Rick Snow, head of music and technology for the Newcomb Department of Music, and Jeff Rubin, digital initiatives and publishing coordinator for Howard-Tilton.
Prospect New Orleans brings art from around the globe to venues across New Orleans. Now in its third exhibition, Prospect.3 features the component Prospect.3+, which aims to support and showcase local and regional artists.
Other Prospect.3+ exhibitions on Tulane campuses are “A.I.R. Pioneers” at the Newcomb Archives, “Tulane Contemporary” at the Carroll Gallery and “Mothership 3: Standing at the Abyss” at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
The exhibit “Notes for Now” at the Newcomb Art Gallery is part of the larger Prospect.3 and is garnering interest and attendance from international art connoisseurs.
