BACKTaking its name from the organ of hearing in the inner ear, Organ of Corti will be unveiled and open to the public for the first time as part of the City of London Festival from July 1st – 7th, at Carter Lane Gardens, St Paul’s Cathedral, before moving on to three further UK locations during the summer.
Organ of Corti by liminal, allows you to become both composer and audience as you step inside and move around this pioneering, experimental instrument. Inspiring you to explore new ways of listening by re-engaging with the sonic world around you, the Organ of Corti compels you to ask, “What defines a piece of music?”
The Organ of Corti is a four-metre high, visually transparent sonic crystal that takes sounds from the environment in which it is placed and recycles them, without adding any noise of its own. As you listen to sounds of road traffic or a weir filtered by the sonic crystal, you can hear musical structures in what many would consider to be merely day-to-day noise of the environments in which we live.
You will be able to climb inside the instrument to discover a different sound experience from one heard on the outside of the structure. The Organ of Corti will accentuate or attenuate different frequencies as you move through and around the instrument, creating an evolving sound experience.
Following its installation outside St Paul’s Cathedral, the Organ of Corti will be installed in four contrasting locations at Tebay Gorge in the Lake District, Cotswold Water Park in Wiltshire and Diglis Weir in Worcester. The tour will be supported by onsite talks and sound walks, enabling you to undertake an aural exploration and observation of your environment.
To find out more, visit PRS for Music Foundation‘s website, or www.organorcorti.co.uk. You can also check out Organ of Corti on Facebook.
Where and When?
July 1st – 7th: World premiere at City of London Festival; Carter Lane Gardens, St Paul’s Cathedral
July 9th – 11th: Lake District Summer Music Festival; Lay-by on A685 overlooking M6,Tebay Gorge
Aug 15th – 17th: Cotswold Water Park; Lake 6, near A419
Aug 19th – 21st: Worcester Music Festival; Diglis Weir, River Severn.