San Fransisco Wave Organ - VOA Story

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MyEarbot
September 12, 2007

At the tip of a tiny peninsula near San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Bridge stands the Wave Organ, a work of art that allows people to listen to music created by waves rolling ashore. "T...

At the tip of a tiny peninsula near San Francisco, California's Golden Gate Bridge stands the Wave Organ, a work of art that allows people to listen to music created by waves rolling ashore.

"The Wave Organ is both a place and, I guess you can say, a phenomenon," says artist Peter Richards. "This place is on the edge between the city and the wilderness of the San Francisco Bay. As a phenomenon, it's a series of 25 pipes that extend down into the water.

Richards is a senior artist at San Francisco's Exploratorium science museum. He and stonemason George Gonzales were behind the project. "They create music when waves move in and out of them," explains the artist. But Richards says the inspiration came from the sound of water. "At one point I heard a recording that was made by an artist in Australia. He recorded a floating concrete dock, put his (microphone) into a floating chamber and water moving in and out of that chamber made a beautiful sound. That inspired me to investigate where that sound came from."

Using a series of pipes, the sculpture captures the surf hitting the tubes creating a symphony of waves.

One visitor explains what he heard. "It sounds kind of like a humming and some of them have a higher pitch and some of them have a lower pitch; some of them are 'ooooo,' some of them are 'eeeeee.' I think some of the tubes are longer, they go out into the bay more."

Another young visitor provides her explains what she heard. "I think the organ sounds like the waves in the ocean and it's just really fun to put your ear to the organ."

Richards believes the true beauty of the Wave Organ is the way nature's many sounds mix together. "If I just sit here and listen, I will hear the sounds of the wave organs but hear other sounds as well. Blended together, it becomes this sort of environmental symphony. That's what I encourage people to do, to really listen, not just come out here to hear the wave organ but listen to the landscape."

A local resident remarked, "It's a place I have come out to many many times. This is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It's always quiet out here, there is always very few people and you can kind of get away from the whole city."

Despite being off the beaten path, Richards says it is well worth the trip to enjoy nature's symphony.

Category: News & Politics

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San Fransisco Wave Organ Art Sculpture Exploratorium science museum

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ivakovicigor (5 months ago) Show Hide

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zadar croatia had one of those many many years ago. still do. been to both. this san fran one is interesting.. but the croatian is much much better. it actually makes a beautiful sound. not stupid annoying sounds.

rochelimit55555 (1 year ago) Show Hide

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I just saw this art installment featured as one of the best in MSN website. I would say that the Croatian wave organ sounds much better, but I think design of the site is much better than the Croatian one.

jimbox114 (1 year ago) Show Hide

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It is really neat, however the sounds it makes I find to be annoying. That is just my opinion though.

gvanderleun (1 year ago) Show Hide

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The sea cannot reclaim this atrocity soon enough. Pray for sea level rise.

bluemonkey101021 (1 year ago) Show Hide

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???

hwooddick (2 years ago) Show Hide

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I wanted to take John to a place I'd found on the internet that seemed like it would be really cool -- it's called the Wave Organ and it's basically an Aeolian Harp for waves.

Hollywood Dick

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San Fransisco Wave Organ - VOA Story

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