“HARMONIC GROVE: Our Lady of the Lake” – OPENED OCTOBER, 2019

An Interactive Sound/Light/Colored Glass Installation by Artist/Composer Christopher Janney

There is a well-known saying, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.” The front entrance to a building is a place where an owner can set the tone for what goes on in the building.

This place is composed of a colored glass canopy and seating together with an Interactive light/sound installation around each of the eight columns closest to the building.

CANOPY – I propose to create a colored glass canopy similar in dimensions to the initially-designed canopy, 35ft. x 90ft. The canopy will be composed of 88 panels, each 72″ x 72″, spread over a “space-frame” structure. Unique light-weight rigid structures, space frames were initially developed in the early 20th century by Alexander Graham Bell and then further in the 1950’s by Buckminster Fuller as an architectural and engineering element. Space frames of note include the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, McCormack Place in Chicago and the Javits Convention Center in New York, NY.

COLORED GLASS – Setting on top of the space will be eighty-eight 72″ x 72″ x 3/4″ thick transparent colored glass panels. These panels will be a combination of blues, blue-green and green colors in harmony with both the Mississipi River color scheme of the building’s exterior and interior entrance space.

INTERACTIVE SOUND – The canopy will rest on twelve 8″ diameter steel columns. The rear columns will be 14-8″ feet tall, the front columns 14 feet all, so the canopy slopes for drainage. We will wrap the first 8 feet of each column in 16-inch diameter rolled brushed aluminum plate. Similar to my “Sonic Forest” columns (see image), these columns will have a series of photo-electric sensors, audio speakers and LED lights. Placed around the 3-inch photo-cell opening will be the image of a series of hands (see image). The “hand-pattern” is there to indicate where someone should touch the column  to trigger the sound and light. But, more importantly, this graphic and the interactive experience will indicate that a “human touch” is very much a part of what goes on in this building; that people can “play with the architecture”, that creative play and curiosity are part of this life-supporting, spiritually-oriented children’s hospital.

LIGHT – During the day, the sun will paint colored shadows within the white space-frame and canopy structure. Since the building entrance faces west, the afternoon sunlight will cast deep colored shadows on the ground, creating a slowly-moving “Kinetic painting” of blue-green colors on the ground. Each of the 8 plaza columns will be illuminated with LED lighting, which will change color when triggered. At night, ambient LED lighting shining down from the canopy will brightly illuminate the space.

SOUND-SCORE – The sound-score will be composed of melodic and environmental sounds. There will be a minimum of 4 sound-banks, each with 12 sound-samples. The combinations will be determined by the time of day and the amount of activity. In this way the piece will never sound exactly the same twice. For example, at 10AM a person might touch one of the columns and trigger a solo bamboo flute over a pentatonic scale. If that person touches another panel within half a second, this action might trigger the sound of a Lousiana bullfrog. At 2PM, a person might trigger a marimba over a blues scale together with different birds. In this way, there is always a mystery as to what will be triggered. All the environmental sounds will be indigenous to Louisiana, from the state bird, the Pellcan, to frogs, crickets and owls.

RIDDLE – As in many of my works, I will also compose a “riddle” that will be placed on a small plaque near the canopy. If a person deciphers the riddle and, plays the “hands” on the eight columns in a certain order, the place will answer with a short “dance” of its own.

BENCHES – My interest here is to transform this entrance way into a plaza, a “grove of color,” where people might rest and relax. To that end, I would propose a series of teak wood benches placed within the space. In this way, people waiting for others or interested to sit outside and greet someone coming to the hospital, can rest and enjoy this unique environment and introduction to Our Lady Of The Lake Childrens Hospital.