Josh Konicki

CHOREOGRAPHY OF SOUND

INSTRUMENT AS ARCHITECTURE

JOSHUA KONICKI

Figure 49

by author Amphitheatre 2023

Choreography of Sound

This body of research highlights the standing issue of translation between music and architecture. Through translation, there is always a medium in between which links the two disciplines. Early on, this transitional factor was a proportioning system in which both music and architecture could relate. In recent projects, it is the diagram of musical notation that aids the translation to architecture. The issue remains that these translation methods are too static in nature. In order to “unthaw” the notion of frozen music, the middle ground between the two disciplines must embody movement. This leads to instrumentation as the vehicle of translation.

Since music is the origin of this translation, a song is decided upon as a basis for design. The issue of location becomes a significant factor. If the site is located within Cincinnati, the music culture there is vastly different than the music culture in another city, such as New Orleans. The question lingers: does the site influence the song choice? The answer is yes. There is potentially a perfect song designated for a particular location for any given reason due to the region in which the song originates from. The answer is also no. If the goal is to translate the music in a broad sense, then there can be a loose connection between the song and the location. For a site in Cincinnati, the jazz standard Maidan Voyage by Herbie Hancock has

been decided upon predominantly for its variety of instrumentation: piano, bass, saxophone, trumpet, and drum set. This includes two stringed instruments, two wind instruments, and one percussive instrument. Although not a native song to Cincinnati, the city has a loose connection with jazz history. The translation will break down the general structure of the song – intro, improvisation, outro – and incorporate the instrumentation into the design.

Chosen because of the adjacent buildings for the arts, the site of this thesis is positioned at the southeast entrance of Eden Park called Tom Jones Commons. Historically, Tom Jones Commons provided water to the City of Cincinnati as an open-air water basin. The pumping station, Station No. 7, north of the site, pumped water from the river to the water reservoir. After a cholera outbreak in the mid-nineteenth century, the reservoir was considered a health

hazard and demolished to its current state. To the north of the site is Mirror Lake where an unseen underground eighty-million-gallon tank is located. The south water basin remains in its bowl shape, however, without the water. Partial fragment of the wall that retained the water remains today opening the sunken landscape to the public. The acoustics of such a space would be similar to that of a football field. From inside of the bowl, a sound produced would reflect back into the bowl when hitting a vertical wall but partially reflect outside of the bowl when striking a slanted surface. This is the empty canvas for the design of a soundscape.

Figure - opposite page by author

Neighborhood Site Plan 2023

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Eden Park: adjacent buildings 2023

Cincinnati Ballet

Cincinnati Art Museum

Elsinore Arch

Cincinnati Playhouse

Eden Park Standpipe

Krohn Conservatory

Station No. 7

Figure - opposite page Eden Park: water reservoir early 1900s

Figure Eden Park: water reservoir early 1900s

When a group of musicians play together, they are often referred to as an ensemble. Likewise, all five instruments of this proposal are designed in such a way that they can perform as a group, this will also be referred to as an ensemble. The five instruments may also be performed and listened to individually. This defines the parts of the design, the instruments, in relation to the whole, the ensemble. The ensemble must deal with the existing conditions of the site: the topography, circulation, sound, and natural elements of wind and water. Additionally, the ensemble positions the performer and the observer and how they move throughout the site. The song Maiden Voyage guides the overall circulation of the project through the idea of improvisation. The observers are free to wander and let the sounds produced from the performers and their instruments to seduce them through the soundscape.

The most intriguing topography is located along the edges of the site. This topography is vertical in some areas and slanted at forty-five degrees in other areas. To allow the instruments to play acoustically with the existing topography, the center of the site is raised to match the height of the surrounding area. Canyons run along the sides of the bowl where sound is bounced around in a controlled manner. This creates a disconnect between the audio and the visual. One can never see and hear all the components at once. The crumbling wall is a critical point where the existing sound pivots from the loudest (out in the open) to the quietest (right beside the wall). At this point all sound from the instruments gather, traveling through tunnels in the landscape, as a performance space for the entire ensemble. The edge of the site and the tunnels through the raised landscape are where the performance occurs. In contrast, places for meditation, reflection, and silence are centrally located.

Site Plan: existing 2023

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Site Plan: proposal 2023

Figure by author

The Woodwind Instruments

The Pianoforte

The Percussion Instruments

The Stringed Instrument

The Brass Instruments

The five instruments in this investigation are derived from the combination of existing human and architecturally scaled instruments. For general cohesiveness, the instruments chosen as a basis for design are circular from the plan view. The shape clearly marks what is and is not instrument across the site. Additionally, this form has its advantages to project sound both towards an audience directly adjacent to the instrument and in the direction of the combined performance space. The sound can be produced almost omnisciently. The functionality and derivatives for each instrument are as follows:

Figure by author

Ensemble Performance

The Brass Instrument:

This instrument is derived from typical brass valve systems. The form is only a shell intended to match the aesthetic of the Chinese Xun. This functions similarly to the woodwind instrument, pushing air through the tubing. The user controls the valve positions to alter pitch.

1874

Figure

D. J. Blaikley Brass Tubing and Valves

Figure - opposite page by author

The Brass Instrument: section 2023

Brass Instrument Acoustics

Brass Instrument Kinetics

Brass Instrument Orgins: Organ and Trumpet

Brass Instrument Vibrations

The Stringed Instrument:

This instrument is inspired by Michael Henry Collin’s Echolin and functions as Ellen Fullman’s Long Stringed Instrument. The user rubs their finger along the suspended string. The circular resonating box intensifies the sound produced.

1879

The Stringed Instrument: section 2023

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Figure Michael Henry Collins Echolin: plan and section

Stringed Instrument Acoustics

Stringed Instrument Kinetics

Stringed Instrument Orgins: Echolin and Long Stringed Instrument

Stringed Instrument Vibrations

The Wind Instrument:

This instrument is derived from the ancient Chinese instrument: the Xun. This functions as a reed organ would, pushing air through the openings. The user may control the openings with switches to alter pitch.

Figure Chao, Mei Pa

Ancient Chinese Xun: egg-shaped and made of terracotta 2637 B.C.E.

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The Woodwind Instrument: section 2023

Wind Instrument Acoustics

Wind Instrument Kinetics

Wind Instrument Orgins: Organ and Xun

Wind Instrument Vibrations

The Pianoforte:

This instrument is derived from Erard Frère’s cylindrical transposing pianoforte and functions as a vertical version of Ellen Fullman’s Long Stringed Instrument. The user pushes down on keys surrounding the exterior of the instrument connected to interior hammers that strike the strings.

Figure Erard Frère

Transposing Pianoforte: cylindrical sound board

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The Pianoforte: section 2023

Pianoforte Acoustics

Pianoforte Kinetics

Pianoforte Orgins: Transposing Cylinder Piano and Long Stringed Instrument

Pianoforte Vibrations

The Percussion Instrument:

This instrument is derived from and functions as Ellen Fullman’s Water Drip Drum. The surrounding form matches aesthetic of Chinese Xun. Through a gutter system, water is collected and is allowed to drip into a metal bowl at the ground level. The user can control rate of the drip to establish a consistent beat.

Choreography of Sound

Figure Ellen Fullman

Water Drip Drum

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The Percussion Instrument: section 2023

Water Drip Drum Acoustics

Water Drip Drum Kinetics

Water Drip Drum Orgins: Bell and Original Water Drip Drum

Water Drip Drum Vibrations

Conclusion

In translating from one medium to another, something is always used as a vehicle for translation and something is always lost in translation. When going from music to architecture, the driver for the translation has typically been through proportioning systems. What is lost in the resulting architecture is the humanity and movement often found in music. Both of which are aspects that can be found in architecture. Then why is humanity and movement lost in translation?

The solution can be found by referring back to how these two disciplines are being translated. By using instruments as the vehicle for translation, this incorporates humanity back into the architecture by allowing for interactivity within the mechanics of the structure. Additionally, these same mechanics accurately transfer the movement of the music to the built form. It is through the human experience that solves the issue of static architecture, in turn, “thawing” out the notion of frozen music.

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Model Photo