Requiem: A White Wanderer
Luftwerk in collaboration with Katherine Young
January 31–February 2, 2020
11am–6pm
Millennium Park, Jay Pritzker Pavilion • Free Admission
Millennium Park > Exhibitions > Requiem: A White Wanderer
(click on image to enlarge)
Requiem: A White Wanderer is an ongoing art and sound project by Chicago-based collaborative Luftwerk to inspire a robust public dialogue about climate change here in Chicago and beyond. Inspired by Larsen-C, a 120-mile long crack that ran along the Antarctic ice shelf and broke into a trillion-ton iceberg named A 68 in 2017, Requiem: A White Wanderer translates seismic data from this ailing iceberg into an emotional experience, connecting the public to the urgency of climate change. The source data is based on the seismic recordings made by Douglas MacAyeal, a world-renowned glaciologist based out of the University of Chicago. MacAyeal has recorded seismic data over a multi-year time period, observing the movement of iceberg B15 from its first cracking to its disintegration across the globe. Seismic data is a low frequency sonic signal, inaudible to the human ear, but it can be perceived and felt throughout the ocean system, traveling through trenches and the SOFAR channel from the Antarctic to Haiti and beyond.
Amplified from the latticed sound system of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the sound system will bring audiences into the way that aquatic animals might experience a calving iceberg, with the sounds of its disintegration reverberating throughout the ocean. Several Sound Walk tours will be presented throughout the weekend to give more guidance to the intricacies of the installation.
The installation is accompanied by two special concerts at 5pm and 7pm on Saturday, February 1. Over the course of 2019 as part of their Outer Ear Residency at Experimental Sound Studio, Luftwerk has been working in collaboration with composer Katherine Young to create a musical composition for orchestra and voice based on these sonic signals. This composition will premiere in two special concerts at 5pm and 7pm on Saturday, February 1. Illuminated sculptural objects will fill the stage's space with shadows and reflections creating a visual topography as if in a glacial landscape. Free registration for the concerts is recommended since seating is limited.
Requiem: White Wanderer is developed in partnership with Experimental Sound Studio and Natural Resource Defense Council and is presented by the Millennium Park Foundation in collaboration with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events as part of the Year of Chicago Music.
Program Schedule
|
Friday, January 31 11am–6pm - Sound Installation An immersive sound installation amplified from the latticed Jay Pritzker Pavilion sound system will bring audiences into the way that aquatic animals might experience a calving iceberg, with the sounds of its disintegration reverberating throughout the ocean. 12:15pm - Sound Walk with Giovanni Aloi - Art Historian and Professor, School of the Art Institute of Chicago In a 20-30 minute guided listening experience around the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Experimental Sound Studio will offer sonic guidance for listening closely to the intricacies of the installation. |
|
Saturday, February 1 11am–6pm - Sound Installation An immersive sound installation amplified from the latticed Jay Pritzker Pavilion sound system will bring audiences into the way that aquatic animals might experience a calving iceberg, with the sounds of its disintegration reverberating throughout the ocean. 4pm - Family-Oriented Sound Walk In a 20-30 minute guided listening experience around the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Experimental Sound Studio will offer sonic guidance for listening closely to the intricacies of the installation. 5pm - Family-Oriented Concert on the Jay Pritzker Stage. A family-oriented musical performance following the sound walk 7pm - Family-Oriented Concert on the Jay Pritzker Stage. An all-ages musical performance and panel discussion with the artists and collaborators moderated by Kari Lydersen, Chicago-based reporter, author and lecturer in the journalism graduate program at Northwestern University. 8pm - Sound Walk with Douglas MacAyeal - Glaciology Expert and Professor, University of Chicago In a 20-30 minute guided listening experience around the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Experimental Sound Studio will offer sonic guidance for listening closely to the intricacies of the installation. |
|
Sunday, February 2 11am–6pm - Sound Installation An immersive sound installation amplified from the latticed Jay Pritzker Pavilion sound system will bring audiences into the way that aquatic animals might experience a calving iceberg, with the sounds of its disintegration reverberating throughout the ocean. Noon - Sound Walk with Sonal Aggarwal - Artist and Performer In a 20-30 minute guided listening experience around the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Experimental Sound Studio will offer sonic guidance for listening closely to the intricacies of the installation. |
Visit us:
Admission is FREE
Open Daily 6am–11pm
Welcome Center 9am–5pm
Plan Your Visit
Find us:
Millennium Park
201 E. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL 60601
Take CTA to Millennium Park
- From the elevated lines: exit at Washington/Wabash and walk east.
- From the subway: exit at Lake (Red Line) or Washington (Blue Line) and walk east.
- Served by buses 3, 4, 6, J14, 20, 56, 60, 124, 146, 147, 151, 157
If parking, Millennium Garages are located at Millennium Park Garage and Millennium Lakeside Garage at 5 S. Columbus Drive, Grant Park North Garage at 25 N. Michigan Ave. and Grant Park South Garage at 325 S. Michigan Ave. Pre-purchase parking online and save up to 50% off drive-up rates.