City Ears – Nice, France


For the MANCA Festival in Nice, France, Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger (O+A) created an architectural sound performance.

Custom parabolic speakers beamed sound which bounced off the iconic Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art building. Sonic reflections were distinctly perceptible from the plaza below.

O+A conducted a sonic “duel” with sound beams. Casual passersby stopped and listened to the building. Skateboarders stepped off their boards to listen. The space came to life as an aural playground.

When architectural space is activated sonically (with knowledge and purpose and the appropriate technology) people are capable of echo locating. Great detail appears from the resonant characteristics of architecture, material, and space.

Sam Auinger with a parabolic beamer.