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Strata, a site-specific permanent sound installation in Lyon, France,
was officially opened on October 16, 2004.
Commissioned by Lyon Parc Auto, Strata is a reactive sonic sculpture distributed throughout 6 levels of the new subterranean parking garage at the Cité Internationale complex in Lyon. The work is the result of 2 years of combined effort between Jody Elff, Lyon Parc Auto, and Art/Enterprise. Strata explores the relationships of levels, or strata of the structure itself. Digging through layers of history embedded in the earth in order to create a new series of layers – man made this time – the work explores the relationships of experience based on place and time. As history is embedded in the layers of earth, so the experience of the structure is embedded sonically in the various levels of the car park. Because the sounds you hear at each moment are dynamic and non-repeating, the experience that each person has at any given moment in the structure is unique. Layer upon layer, they combine to create a cohesive whole that is the representation of the architecture through the passing of time. The sounds become an integrated element of the quality of the space itself. The work consists of 6 unique sonic “personalities,” one for each level of the facility. A computer controls the occurrence and distribution of the sounds throughout the facility. When an observer is on a particular level of the garage, they hear only the sound of that level. However, there is a global control process in place that guarantees that all six levels are harmonically and rhythmically coherent. In addition to the control of the sounds by the computer, the sounds of vehicles themselves will be transformed and integrated into the final presentation. The result is one of a spontaneously generated composition, comprised of the individual sonic events from each floor. This combined result can be heard in the main pedestrian entrance hall of the facility. In addition to the sonic sculpture, a visual component of the work was installed in the elevator cars. A series of patters drawn directly from the software used to create the sound sculpture was realized in a light filtering material. As your visual relationship to the elevator cars shifts, the materials change color, from amber to blue to translucent. Founded in 1969, Lyon Parc Auto is a company whose vocation is to provide answers to the problems of parking in the town of Lyon. In addition to its awareness of the practical considerations of building parking structures, LPA has taken a particular interest in the aesthetic considerations of their spaces. From this awareness, a new generation of parks has emerged. No longer simply car parks, these facilities are new urban spaces in their own right, combining beauty and originality, resulting from a constant dialog between art, architecture, design, and communication services. Working in conjunction with Art/Enterprise, a gallery and arts coordination company founded by Georges Verney-Carron, LPA has initiated a process of submission, review, and selection of art works for each new LPA facility. Once an artist is chosen, LPA works closely with the artist to integrate their work into the facility. Strata is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the parking garage at Cité Internationale, 66 quai Charles de Gaulle 69006 Lyon France.
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