Today I was introduced to something new – the Sound Garden created by Wavelets Creative. It’s a site specific, immersive performance. It took place on Mississippi River Road in Minneapolis. It looks like it happens seasonally; today was the spring performance.
It is a self-guided tour of an area in urban wildlife. Throughout the area is recorded ambient music. It’s gentle and subtle most of the time with just a few sonic surprises to keep me on my toes. There are strolling musicians. There’s poetry and art that incorporates the existing area. There was a lovely poem about a specific tree with an ethos of The Giving Tree. There was a fun photo of the Witch’s Tower (the water tower that inspired Bob Dylan’s All Around the Watchtower), positioned in view of the actual tower. There were dancers in neon; I could watch that all day. There are opportunities for deeper engagement, if you want to go that route.
The event was four hours long but with the expectation of staying for about an hour.
It made the walk fun and interesting. The beauty of self-guided is that you can choose your own pace. The weather was perfect today but I think I’d like this regardless. There would be something fun about watching it all with an umbrella too. Honestly, I would like for the whole world to be like this every day!
Mostly Minnesota 