Hirshhorn and DC Listening Lounge Host Free ‘Sound Scene’ Festival July 7–8
Sound Scene, Washington, D.C.’s annual auditory “happening,” is coming to the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. For the third year in a row, DC Listening Lounge, an underground sound collective, will take over the entire museum with radically interactive art and sound installations. From Saturday, July 7, to Sunday, July 8, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., the galleries and plaza will become sonic oases of performances, games and workshops, free and open to all ages. Advance online registration is recommended.
Sound Scene XI unites artists and contributors from all over the world to explore the theme “Mapping Memory,” with unexpected activities that transform ideas of sound, memory and history. Visitors will be able to:
- Hold sound in their hands and listen through their fingertips
- Build their own wind chimes
- Put their DJ skills to the test by mixing samples into a live DJ set
- Transform words from speech to text to dance
- Participate in a guided sonic meditation
Sound enthusiasts can also enjoy live performances from artists Layne Garrett, Sam McCormally, Julie Moon, David Schulman, Heather Spence, members of the National Symphony Orchestra, Smithsonian Folklife Festival visiting artists and the modern dance ensemble Errant Movement.
The event is part of the Hirshhorn’s diverse range of free public programs, which invite today’s leading innovators in art, design, music and technology to explore ideas that shape 21st-century culture.
ASL interpreters will be available for select performances and workshops.
About the Hirshhorn
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is the national museum of modern and contemporary art and a leading voice for 21st-century art and culture. Part of the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn is located prominently on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Its holdings encompass one of the most important collections of postwar American and European art in the world. The Hirshhorn presents diverse exhibitions and offers an array of public programs on the art of our time—free to all, 364 days a year. For more information, visit hirshhorn.si.edu.
About the DC Listening Lounge
DC Listening Lounge is an audio collective of sound enthusiasts that meets monthly in Washington, D.C., to listen together, workshop audio and nurture an ongoing conversation about sound, art and everything between and around the edges. “Sound Scene” has been held annually at different locations around the city since 2008. Visit dclisteninglounge.org to join.
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SI-388-2018
