On the rooftop of this five-floor infrastructure center in San Francisco, California, a park has been implemented containing green structure and walking paths. Noise levels in the park are lower compared with the ground below. Fountains contribute with a masking sound, which is triggered by vibrations from the buses that pass on the floor below the park. The installation is called “The Bus Fountain“. Buss fountain by: Ned Kahn. Read more about the building and the project: PWP Landscape
Zen drops
The silver pavilion Ginkaku-ji in Kyoto on an eraly morning in December 2018. A barely audible water “stream” in miniature. The subtle expression implies a quiet setting, and features like this are commonplace in Japanese zen gardens. They may be used for meditative purposes and to stimulate a “heightened listening”. Listen also to Chishaku-in and Funda-in.
Shishi-Odoshi
A bamboo pipe attached to a shaft. The cavity is filled with water until the equilibrium is broken and the tube turns. Originally, this construction was used by farmers to keep unwanted animals away from the harvests. Gradually they began to appreciate the sound, which can be regarded as a symbolism of time and eternity. This shishi-odoshi is from Shisen-dō, and it is said that Jozan, who built the garden, was one of the first people to start enjoying the shishi-odoshi as part of the garden aesthetics. The sound and character of shishi-odoshi varies, another example: https://vimeo.com/311374391
Suikinkutsu
Excess water from a water basin, chozubachi, drops into a hidden cavity underground. The encounter with the water surface creates a sound which resonates and brings a musical tone. Suikinkutsu is a centuries old tradition in Japan and it can be found in several zen gardens, this video clip is from Enkō-ji in Kyoto.
The Renaissance villa “Villa d’este” outside of Rome is famous for its more than five hundred fountains, water games and water surprises, all of which are mechanically driven by old, good engineering spirit. Water is led by gravity through underground tunnels and led to the various installations who needs nothing more than this natural pressure to function. The pipes in the water organ are also driven by the weight/pressure of the water.
Villa d’este: Pirro Ligorio and Alberto Galvani 1550. Read more
Organ and hydraulics: Claude Venard och Thomaso Chiruchi
Boulders
Large stone altar in one piece, from which water drops and flows.
Västra hamnen, Malmö
Uppsala stadsträdgård
Example of beam / rays
Uppsala stadsträdgård
Näckens polska
Example of beam / rays.
Näckens polska by Bror Hjort
Built 1967 at Uppsala centralstation
Mariatorget, Stockholm
Tors Fiske
Anders Wissler, 1903
Mariatorget, Stockholm
Sergels torg, Stockholm
Berceau, several pieces. Powerful sound. However, most of the sound seems to belong to the traffic since it is closer and since it is hard to easily reach the fountain.
Sergels torg, Stockholm
Jet beam in pace
Unconstrained jet beam with a clear, somewhat irregular pace.
Norra Bantorget, Stockholm
Spray and Jet rays
Strongly sounding fountain, with pulsating jets and high frequency spraying nozzles placed in a ball shape.
Norra latins konferenscenter, Stockholm
Simultaneous jets
This installation includes six dynamic pulsating jets, who all keep their own, slightly different, pace. Together they create a constant expression – a recurring rhythm.
Several simultaneous jets
Resecentrum, Uppsala
Rushing water curtain
A rushing water curtain whose sound resonates in the container where the falling water meets the water surface. The resonance brings a tone to the sound which, through reflection on the wall, reaches a higher level that is able to match the intense traffic in the environment.
The Royal Palace, Stockholm
Stylized nature rapids
Evenly scattered along the staircase from Södra vallgatan, leading down to Parkkanalen in Malmö, these stylized nature installations spread a atmospheric sound that dominates the location. The focus is shifted from the traffic-crowded Drottninggatan (located on the other side of the canal) to the naturally located water element.
