Sonic Bloom: An installation to connect people to the sounds of London

The interactive installation “Sonic Bloom”, a full color complex of horn-shaped speech tubes through which passers-by can communicate, was created by sound artist and designer Yuri Suzuki. The facility recently opened at Brown Hart Gardens in North Mayfair, near Oxford Street Market, and will remain there until August 2022.

The “Sound Flower” is a grid of red, yellow and blue horns arranged like a blooming flower; each of them is a speech tube and people can communicate through the interconnected horn tubes and hear the sounds that the tubes make. capture and enhance. Some of the horns are facing up to capture the sounds of the city.

Suzuki himself – a member of the London office of Pentagram design studio – explained why he chose basic colors for the installation, explaining that these are his favorite colors. “I chose basic colors because I’m dyslexic and they help with reading. With these clear distinctions, people can easily trace the path of sound. In addition, the basic colors fit very well in any landscape, “said the Japanese artist, speaking to Dezeen.

He also stressed that a key feature of the installation is the integration of benches and the arrangement of horns at different levels to ensure that all ages are invited to interact with the sculpture: “Personally, I believe that just a statue in public is not gives enough function to the community. “If people use it actively, then public art makes sense.”

The installation was curated by Alter-Projects, founded in 2015 by Anne-Laure Pingreoun. She explained that the message of the facility, which was designed before the pandemic, was reinforced after the lockdown: “We strongly believe that art and design can change cities, places and similarly minds. “Today, especially after COVID, it is more important than ever for cities to be filled with art, as culture is a powerful tool for revitalizing areas and trade.”