Under the Big Top

The reliably awesome Art at City Hall program expands its scope to include sound art: Bill Fontana, a San Francisco treasure in the realm of sound art (and surely other, less-publicized arenas) transforms City Hall with an installation which will send sound samples tumbling from the colonnade within the Rotunda’s dome to the first floor, like so many sound feathers after a sound pillow fight. Various aural samples from San Francisco events and locations will travel between transducers mounted on the walls, which send out ultrasonic beams carrying wildlife noises, spoken word, and music. Standing at the fourth-floor source will give listeners the loudest, clearest rendition of the soundtrack; the volume will gradually decrease as the beams descend, dissipating at a dull roar on the first floor. Fontana has installed site-specific sound sculptures on notable locations such as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, the Brooklyn Bridge, and London's Big Ben. He’s called San Francisco home for three decades, and “Spiraling Echoes” is his first major commission in our town in 20 years.

Related Content

• Occupy Protesters, Watch What You Tweet
  April 25, 2012
• Art, Orchestrated
  January 18, 2012
• Occupy SF ... San Francisco-Style
  October 10, 2011
• Mission Bean Guy Pops Up with Cali-Style Taqueria in Brooklyn
  August 11, 2010
• In Print: Michael Jackson's Zombiefied Pop, and the Wanderings of Tricky
  December 15, 2010

More About

• Bill Fontana
• Arc de Triomphe
• Big Ben Clock Tower
• Brooklyn Bridge

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

An opening reception for "Spiraling Echoes" starts at 5:30 p.m.
Feb. 12-May 8, 8 a.m., 2009