With a career extending back into the 1970s, American sound artist Bill Fontana continues to challenge the perceptions of visual and architectural spaces around the world – most recently with Sonic Mappings, a permanent sound art installation for Rome’s Maxxi Museum.
For Sonic Mappings, Fontana travelled the path of the Acqua Vergine from the source springs at Salone to the ancient tunnels still in existence under the streets of Rome. By using microphones, hydrophones and accelerometers placed in the water flow and some imbedded into walls he captured the diversity of their sound and acoustic resonance. From these recordings, he composed music based around the acoustic, harmonic, and rhythmic qualities of the water that complements the curves of the architecture by Zaha Hadid.
‘Sonic Mappings connects listeners to what I think of as the acoustic soul of Rome – the sound of water ebbing and flowing through the city’s ancient aqueducts,’ says Fontana. ‘After decades of creating sound sculptures, I have learned that creating a sense of immersion in a multi-dimensional soundscape can only be achieved using the most accurate audio technology. Without it, the listener’s illusion will break down. This is why the partnership with Meyer Sound is so critical to Sonic Mappings.’
In addition to other installations and radio sound art projects – including work for the BBC, the EBU, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Fontana has exhibits at the Tate Modern in London, SFMOMA in California, Madison Square Park in New York City and the Imperial War Museum in the UK – of which involve extensive use of Meyer Sound systems, including SpaceMap and the D-Mitri digital audio platform.
A long-time user of Meyer Sound technology, Fontana worked with Scott George of Autograph Sound to create the soundscape using two of Meyer Sound’s most powerful creative tools. SpaceMap multichannel surround panning gives the designer a flexible tool to fly sounds through space, while D-Mitri provides the signal processing and distribution backbone for the sonic immersion. For reinforcement, Fontana specified MM-4XP self-powered loudspeakers to ensure the intricate detail of the sculpture is projected with utmost clarity and impact.
In addition to the permanently installed Sonic Mappings, Meyer Sound systems play a key role in the aural transformation of three other showpieces by artists including Philippe Rahm and Justin Bennett, using some 82 MM-4XP loudspeakers in their exhibits. For Italian artist Francesco Fonassi, it is eight UPM-1P loudspeakers and two USW-1P subwoofers. Equipment support is provided by Carlo Volpe of Fox Sound Service and Linear Sound.
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