Bernhard Leitner. Sound Architecture

John Hill

27. May 2014

Photos: © Archiv Leitner, courtesy of Az W

If anybody can be described as a sound architect it's Bernhard Leitner, who created "Le Cylindre Sonore" for the Parc de la Villette in Paris. His work is celebrated in an upcoming exhibition at Architekturzentrum Wien (Az W).

Le Cylindre Sonore is a double-walled space hidden inside a bamboo grove in a park more famous for Bernard Tschumi's bright red follies that, unlike the cylinder, call for attention. One is attracted to the space from sounds emanating from it rather than sight of it. Eight "columns of sound" in the 5-meter-high (16-feet) walls serve to "form a resonating body that consolidates the sound through the weight and tension of the curved surfaces," per the Az W. The sounds emanating from the speakers within the columns work with the cylindrical shape, the sound of water flowing from the columns to a pool beneath the floor, and the circular framed sky above to create a meditative space sequestered from the city.

Bernhard Leitner. Sound Architecture at Az W presents Le Cylindre Sonore but also "Raum Reflexion", created especially for the exhibition. In the installation "the hall is acoustically mirrored through beams of sound. In addition the waves of energy from an oscillating steel spring create a sound space that is built up from body vibrations."

Bernhard Leitner. Sound Architecture runs from June 26 to July 14, 2014, at Az W, with an opening party at 7pm on June 25.