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Peter
Richards
Exploratorium Artist in Residence, 1986
The
Wave Organ is a wave-activated acoustic sculpture located
on a jetty in the San Francisco Bay. The concept was developed
by Peter Richards and was installed in collaboration with
sculptor and master stone mason George Gonzales. Inspiration
for the piece came from artist Bill Fontana's recordings made
of sounds emanating from a vent pipe of a floating concrete
dock in Sydney, Australia.
In 1980, Richards (now a Senior Artist at the Exploratorium)
received a planning grant from the National Endowment for
the Arts which enabled him to conduct an extensive period
of investigation into the physicality of the Wave Organ
phenomenon. The sculpture's speaker horn and audio equipment
were either built or acquired for use in some of the experiments
of this period.
The
Exploratorium's Wave Organ on San Francisco Bay. Click
on the image for a larger
view. |
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A
prototype, built at the same location, was presented as part
of the New Music '81 Festival. Though very rudimentary in
nature, it generated enthusiasm and support for a permanent
work. Permit acquisition and fundraising efforts by Frank
Oppenheimer, founding director of the Exploratorium, began
soon after, but actual construction did not start until September
of 1985, seven months after Oppenheimer's death. The Wave
Organ was completed in May of 1986 and was dedicated in June
to the memory of Frank Oppenheimer.
The Wave Organ is located on a jetty that forms the small
Boat Harbor in the Marina district of San Francisco, walking
distance from the Exploratorium. The jetty itself was constructed
with material taken from a demolished cemetery, providing
a wonderful assortment of carved granite and marble, which
was used in the construction of this piece. The installation
includes 25 organ pipes made of PVC and concrete located
at various elevations within the site, allowing for the
rise and fall of the tides. Sound is created by the impact
of waves against the pipe ends and the subsequent movement
of the water in and out of the pipes. The sound heard at
the site is subtle, requiring visitors to become sensitized
to its music, and at the same time to the music of the environment.
RoadTripAmerica
visits the Wave Organ
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