Bird's Sonic Arboretum Appeals To The Eyes and Ears

By Michelle Meywes Kopeny in Arts & Entertainment on Oct 4, 2011 4:40PM

Anyone who has ever seen Andrew Bird in concert will recognize the captivating, rotating Specimen horn speakers that have become his signature. This December, the Museum of Contemporary Art will have an entire installation of them—70 to be exact—in their atrium with a score composed by, who else, Bird himself, creating an experience that appeals to the eyes as well as the ears. Better yet, Bird will perform live on December 21 and 22 with the “forest” of horns serving as his PA.

The collaboration between Bird and Specimen horn speaker designer Ian Schneller is called Sonic Arboretum. The exhibit debuted at New York’s Guggenheim Museum in August, but comes to Chicago with a new site specific composition. Bird is known for layering loops of violin, guitar and vocals (and whistling) into expansive soundscapes, and this exhibit is no different, with those loops playing in clusters of speakers across the atrium.

Schneller is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago where he received a Masters in Sculpture. There he made his first horn speaker, and today he designs and builds a series of horns using recycled news print and dryer lint including the single-horn speaker, the double spinning Janus Horn and the XL Horn Speaker. Sonic Arboretum will use a range of these different speakers varying in size from three to nine feet.

The installation itself will be free with admission to the MCA ($12 adults, $7 students and seniors, free for children 12 and under, and don’t forget Tuesdays are free for Illinois residents). Tickets for Andrew Bird’s live performances are already available for $35 ($28 for MCA members, $10 for students), but act fast because this unique show is sure to sell out quickly.

Sonic Arboretum runs from December 6 - 31. Andrew Bird’s performances will begin at 7:30pm on Wednesday, December 21 and Thursday, December 22. The MCA is located at 220 E. Chicago Ave.