The University of Texas at Austin’s public art program, Landmarks, recently announced the return of its program Sound in Sculpture. The interdisciplinary initiative is a partnership with UT’s Texas Performing Arts and the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, and this year’s Sound in Sculpture will be streamed April 22 at 7:00 PM, through the Butler School of Music’s Vimeo channel. The event is free and open to all without registration.
Sound in Sculpture typically showcases student-composed music that’s been written in response to one particular work of art from the Landmarks collection, with performances held on site at the location of the chosen installation. Because the pandemic has required this year’s performance to be moved online, composers were able to choose different works of art to respond to, and also had opportunities to collaborate with musicians outside of Austin — in some cases, from across the world.
Sound in Sculpture 2021 features music from university students Geli Li, Sophie Mathieu, Abhi Rao, Thomas A. Rodriguez, and Rita Yung. Students responded to the following works from Landmarks’ collection: Koren Der Harootian’s Prometheus and Vulture (1948); James Turrell’s The Color Inside (2013); Joel Perlman’s Square Tilt (1983); and Ursula von Rydingsvard’s Untitled (Seven Mountains) (1986-1988). The resulting compositions reflect a variety of styles, ranging from works for a brass quartet, to piano solos, to a mix of voice and instrumental arrangements.
For more information on Sound in Sculpture, please visit the Landmarks website here. For a few of Glasstire’s Five-Minute Tours of Landmarks public art, please visit here, here, here, and here.
Again: on April 22 at 7 pm, visit this link to watch (and listen to!) UT Landmarks’ Sound in Sculpture 2021 program.
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Launched in 2008, UT Landmarks inspires thought and growth by presenting public art at The University of Texas at Austin. We believe that great art should be free and accessible to all. Beyond visiting the works of art and learning about them, students may support Landmarks by volunteering their time and expertise as a Landmarks Docent or member of the Landmarks Preservation Guild. Faculty members are encouraged to include Landmarks projects in curricula and schedule class tours.
