On Saturday, March 20, UNC Greensboro’s Interior Architecture Department and School of Music joined creative forces for two events exploring the way space and sound interact.
“Sound is a constant in most of our lives, yet we spend very little time considering its production and effect,” said Stephen Skorski, a professor of interior architecture at UNCG.
Rather than teach students about the acoustic environment simply through textbooks, Skorski took a more experiential, collaborative approach, and the sound machine project was born.
Held at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, the day began with performances by music students, who played original compositions on sound machines that were designed and built by interior architecture students.
“Each sound machine was designed to respond to and activate a specific location on the UNCG campus,” said Skorski. “Their production is a way to become more aware of, and more involved with, the acoustic environment.”
Later, the collaboration continued as Skorski’s own sound sculpture – a piece of art entitled “Manifestation” – was used to perform an original composition by Steven Landis, professor of music at UNCG. The composition, “The blurred edges between now and then,” was performed by percussionist Erik Alexander Schmidt and evoked the environment and sounds of a mythical mountain range.
Collaboration between different disciplines is immensely valuable, says Skorski, as multiple perspectives often bring the greatest leaps forward.
“We can’t design in a vacuum – we need to introduce new ways of seeing, hearing, and thinking. As interior architects, we need to combine our passions with the energy of others in order to bring value to the world.”
View photos of these events below:
Story by Elizabeth Keri, College of Arts & Sciences
Photography by Martin W. Kane, University Communications
