Night Sounds at the Glass House

John Hill

29. July 2014

Photo: Screenshot

If "music is liquid architecture" and architecture really is "frozen music," as Goethe wrote, then what kind of music is the embodiment of Philip Johnson's Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut?

If the Night Sounds series is any indication, the Glass House is frozen ambient/electronic music. Since late 2012 the Philip Johnson Glass House's director Henry Urbach and guest curator Jordan Stein have invited musicians for special on-site performances and receptions within the Glass House proper. Beyond confronting Johnson's building, each Night Sounds musician is asked to engage with a sculpture inside that stands in for Alberto Giacometti’s absent sculpture Night. Four of the planned seven Night Sounds have taken place, with videos on those below.

Night Sounds #4, Sunday, May 4, 2014, 3:00 - 5:30 p.m., featured a performance by lucky dragons alongside a new work by Vincent Fecteau:

Night Sounds #3, Friday, October 4, 2013, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., featured a performance by Liz Harris + Jefre Cantu-Ledesma alongside Jason Dodge's sculpture A tourmaline and a ruby inside of an owl:

Night Sounds #2, Friday, May 10, 2013, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., featured the performance of Erratics by ARP alongside Tauba Auerbach's sculpture Gnomon/Wave Fulgurite (2013):

The inaugural performance of Night Sounds #1 on Wednesday, December 12, 4:30-6:30pm, featured musician Julianna Barwick in the Glass House alongside Ken Price’s sculpture Doola (2011):