Mar 2012: Aeolus–a spiky acoustic wind sculpture

I was walking to work and then saw this extraordinary piece of sculpture being setup in the middle of the green.



Couple of days later, the fencing was torn down and you could see what it was

Steel pipes surround a circular structure

Peek a boo

All of various lengths.

Here’s the sculpture

Very neat

 

You can stand in the middle and hear lovely music from the wind blowing through the pipes and then coming out on the other side. Fascinating, the man is a genius. This is how he describes it

Aeolus (2011), Greek god of the four winds, is an acoustic and interactive sculpture that sings with the wind, resonating without power or amplification

More details

Aeolus is an acoustic and optical pavilion designed to resonate and sing in the wind with no electrical power or amplification - a giant Aeolian harp. Through vibrations in harp strings attached to some of the tubes the artwork sings in the wind. The tubes also hum at a series of low frequencies and as they are mirrored internally, they draw the surrounding visual landscape into the artwork, creating a kaleidoscopic effect for the viewer standing beneath the arch.

Place your ear to any of the tubes on the outside of the sculpture and you will hear a different low note from each one, like a musical scale.

Stand beneath the arch and you will hear the sculpture 'sing' when the strings attached at the top vibrate in the breeze, like the strings of a musical instrument or stand in the exact centre of the arch, make a sound and your voice will reflect and an echo heard.

From inside the sculpture, peer down the tubes and you see reflections of the surrounding buildings and landscape, giving familiar sights a different perspective.

Aeolus was inspired by Jerram’s research trip to Iran in 2007 where he explored the mosques of Isfahan and interviewed a Qanat desert well digger about his life. The well digger spoke of the wells singing in the wind which led Jerram to investigate the acoustics of architecture and create his new work at Canada Square Park for its first London exhibition.

Here is the sculptor’s page…Here you can actually hear the sounds,