 Reach New York is located along the platforms of the BMT Broadway line. It consists of a rack hanging from the ceiling of each platform with sensors along the length. Waving your hand in front of a sensor creates a corresponding sound from the rack-- on the other side of the station. People on opposite platforms or opposite ends of the same platform can interact using the instrument; artist Christopher Janney conceived the piece as a way to promote exchange between strangers. 

Platform, 34th St - Herald Sq subway station

Reach New York, An Urban Musical Instrument

 Canal Convergence is a bi-annual series of engaging and inspiring free events at the Scottsdale Waterfront featuring innovative large scale installations by local and national artists, hands-on activities, live music, performances, and Artisan Market's urban marketplace experience. This piece was displayed at the first Canal Convergence event, Canal Convergence | Water + Art + Light in November 2012. Christopher Janney created an interactive "alley" along the edge of the canal between the Soleri Bridge and Plaza and Marshall Way Bridge located at the Scottsdale Waterfront, composed of sixteen 8 ft. tall x 10" diameter aluminum columns mounted on concrete bases.  The columns provided an interactive opportunity for passersby who triggered a score of colored light and sound.  

Scottsdale Waterfront

Sonic Pass: Scottsdale

 Sonic Gates enhances the existing classical columns of the plaza entrance. Passing through one of three entrances, will trigger a photo-electric cell, activating a tone from a speaker overhead. The tones are scored to be in consonant harmony, but change in pitch and timbre throughout the day, acting as a &ldquo;sonic gate&rdquo; to the plaza, further reinforcing the act of entering and exiting the space. Percussion Water Wall features 64 water jets arranged in an 8 x 8 grid that play a series of water mist patterns. Patterns are played randomly at a slow, gentle pace, and at other times frantically, in a staccato rhythm. The fountain responds to activity in front of it, using two proximity sensors; when alone, the fountain is &ldquo;sleeping.&rdquo; When people pass by, it &ldquo;awakens&rdquo; and starts to dance. A quiet sound score accompanies the piece. Media Glockenspiel within the clockface installed in the plaza`s 85 foot clock tower, sits a circular ring of 20&rdquo; video monitors. At the center of this ring a monitor displays a set of images of the sun setting or rising around the world over the course of an evening. Icons emerge from the glockenspiel doors four times a day. At dawn, the abstraction of a rooster appears, along with sound of crowing. At noon, a steam whistle appears, and steam and smoke are emitted, to suggest a &ldquo;noon whistle.&rdquo; At sunset, the door opens, revealing an abstraction of a cannon with smoke and the sound of cannonfire, suggesting the University`s &ldquo;Pirates&rdquo; icon. At mid-night, a surprise object and sound appears. Acknowledging its academic environment, the piece is designed to be experimented and &ldquo;played with&rdquo; by the University`s music and art students. Ground Cloud In the middle of the plaza, is a circular water-mist cloud installed over a grate that &ldquo;dances&rdquo; according to the whim of the wind, at times static or furious. At night, the cloud is illuminated by a large beam of polychromatic light that shines through the grate. As in the other elements, there is sonic accompaniment to the water form. 

 Christopher Janney Studio Christopher Janney Studio Christopher Janney Studio  Christopher Janney Studio

East Carolina University

Sonic Plaza

 &ldquo;Harmonic Fugue&rdquo; is an interactive sound and light environment conceived as a place to experience creativity &ndash; not just by looking at or walking around an artwork, but by actually walking into and through it, an &ldquo;immersive experience&rdquo;. Designed by artist/composer/architect Christopher Janney as part of his &ldquo;Urban Musical Instrument&rdquo; series, the artwork consists of a series of interactive &ldquo;touch&rdquo; sensors, audio speakers and colored LED lights. As one reaches up and waves a hand in front of one of the &ldquo;white dots,&rdquo; both an LED light and an ever-changing soundscore from the audio speakers is triggered. The score is composed of a palette of melodic instruments and environmental sounds indigenous to Arkansas including the song of a Mocking bird and the Honeybee. All the sounds are pitched according to certain laws of harmony so that no matter what is played, the sounds in each tunnel play in concert with one another. Harmonic Fugue Also designed into the artwork is &ldquo;a riddle&rdquo; created by Mr. Janney, adding an additional experience for the returning participant. Placed somewhere in the tunnel is a text etched on a plaque. If a participant deciphers the riddle and &ldquo;plays&rdquo; the sensors in the order denoted by the puzzle, the piece will respond with a special &ldquo;dance&rdquo; of its own! &ldquo;It is the role of &lsquo;Harmonic Fugue` to make this passageway not just a transition space, but a destination place for creative play at all hours of the day and night,&rdquo; Mr. Janney said. &ldquo;Hopefully, I have conceived an icon for Hendrix College and the City of Conway that speaks to the social interaction of public spaces and to the open classroom.&rdquo; Because the piece is on a college campus, students interested in art, media, music, choreography should be allowed to experiment with the artwork under faculty supervision. They should be encouraged to study the history of synesthesia and the visual artists and musical composers who have experimented in this media in the last century. From the Russian composer Alexander Scirabin, who in 1910 composed &ldquo;Prometheus: Poem of Fire&rdquo; for both &ldquo;light organ&rdquo; and orchestra to Robert Rauschenberg and his &ldquo;Experiments in Art and Technology,&rdquo; to the immersive lights shows of the psychedelic `60`s music, there is a rich history to this genre of work. With today`s expansion of technology, it is now possible to create artwork that one does not just look at or walk around, but actually walk into and, through interaction, affect its elements. In the spirit of Marcel Duchamp, this work challenges the viewer`s role in the creation of this work of art. &ldquo;Harmonic Fugue: Hendrix&rdquo; is in this tunnel to help solve the design problem of encouraging students and faculty not to cross the state highway and to use this new pedestrian tunnel. But, it is the role of art not just to solve problems, but to ask questions; to make this passageway not just a transition space, but a destination place of creative play new kinds of learning at all hours of the day and night. The idea is to create an icon for Hendrix College and the city of Conway; to create a place that speaks to the social interaction of public spaces, to the &ldquo;open classroom.&rdquo; As part of my &ldquo;Urban Musical Instrument&rdquo; series, this underground tunnel should become a place for hatching creative imaginations. 

Hendrix College

Harmonic Fugue

This is a video of the multimedia sound and light artwork.

 Rising above the concrete slopes of Cincinnati`s Public Landing is a three-story, 60 ton, exact replica of the original red paddle wheel from the American Queen riverboat. It is positioned about 40 feet off the ground, above a series of 24 metal smokestacks in what is known as the Dan and Susan Pfau Whistle Grove. The smokestacks showcase the importance of steam in the early days of riverboat travel and the relevance that riverboats played in the early history of Cincinnati. Visitors to the Whistle Grove are able to control the steam released from each of the stainless steel smokestacks by simply walking by several computer synchronized motion sensors installed in each column. Different sounds will be triggered by passing by the various columns, including calliope music, a steamboat whistle and voices of river veterans talking about the rigors of life on the Ohio. All of the columns emit steam, generated by boilers in a nearby steam room. At the center of the Whistle Grove is a riddle that, once solved, touches off an especially unique, interactive steam display. When all smokestacks shoot steam at once, a misty cloud envelopes the paddle wheel, creating a surreal scene and as picturesque a photo opportunity as there is in town. The Riddle: In order to make this grove sing &ndash; You`ll walk an X within the ring Start here &ndash; and move towards the tide Circle close &lsquo;round the last stack, - Turn back in stride. Now walk towards the city &ndash; And turn as before To the center, turn left &ndash; And repeat it once more. Stand still &ndash; Listen and chill Watch the rhythmatic steam The hidden music is in between. 

Whistle Grove: The National Steamboat Monument

 Christopher Janney`s Sonic Pass Blue&mdash;for the City University of New York`s Lehman College&mdash;transforms a 100 foot long pedestrian walkway into a &ldquo;synaesthetic environment&rdquo; through the use of colored glass, light, sound and pedestrian interaction. The piece consists of a series of eleven photo-electric sensors, eleven speakers and a polyphonic sound sampler. Together, this system creates an ever-changing series of &ldquo;sound images&rdquo; as people pass through the space. The actual score is composed of melodic and environmental sounds, from the natural landscape of the area and from the New York Zoological Society, creating a &ldquo;sonic portrait&rdquo; of the Lehman College surroundings. Sonic Pass Blue is designed so interested music and visual/media arts students have the chance to experiment with the piece. 

Lehman College

Sonic Pass Blue

 Maritime Sound, an interactive &ldquo;soundwork&rdquo; located on the ground floor of Fusco Corporation`s Long Wharf elevator bank, is composed of a series of interactive sensors contained in two aluminum cases suspended from the overhead concrete beams. As a pedestrian reaches up and waves a hand in front of a sensor, he activates a light beacon and a series of melodic and environmental sounds. The mix of instruments and audio samples are from the area`s real and imagined past, present, and future&mdash;from the sound of rigging swaying on ancient sailboats, to foghorns, to the sounds of futuristic star ships and underwater cities. Pedestrians can also decipher a &ldquo;riddle&rdquo; etched on a plaque to trigger the sensors in a specific order. If the riddle is solved, the piece answers with &ldquo;sound image&rdquo; of its own. 

Fusco Corporation, Parking Garage

Maritime Sound

 In his professional and personal life, Janney has spent quite a bit of time waiting in airports. Aware that this part of the travel experience was ripe for improvement, Janney decided to shake up the paradigm when he was commissioned for a major project for a new international terminal at DallasFort Worth International Airport in Texas. His response was Circling, an interactive, three-dimensional labyrinth, the name of which reflects both the notion of planes circling overhead and the action of the passengers themselves as they circle through four concentric rings within the thirty-foot-diameter space. Circling is based on a labyrinthine form but had to be configured for the airport space. Its walls, constructed from one hundred sheets of two-foot-wide colored glass, spiral at different heights, up to twelve feet, along terrazzo paths. Twenty-eight sensors embedded in the floor trigger lights and loudspeakers to reinforce the idea of illumination and sounds coming up from the earth as people walk through the maze. 

Circling

 In Touch My Building, the entire facade of the Bank of America`s 7th Street Parking Deck is transformed by two principle visual elements. The first addresses the scale of the building&mdash;a syncopated pattern of 416 colored panels painted in custom automobile colors create a lively dynamic surface over the nine-story facade. Natural light is used with colored glass in both the stair tower and the cornice, creating strong graphic forms. The second element addresses the scale of the pedestrian&mdash;thirty-six 30 foot tall &ldquo;light fins&rdquo; are placed around the building. When touched, a fin lights up and emanates a mix of melodic tones. In addition to this random play, the entire building &ldquo;performs&rdquo; on the hour, triggering ever-changing patterns of light and sound. Occasionally a &ldquo;ghost&rdquo; residing in the building &ldquo;plays&rdquo; the piece at whim. If the curious pedestrian can find the riddle on the building, decipher it and play the pattern stated, the &ldquo;ghost&rdquo; will also respond. 

7th Street Station Parking Garage

Touch My Building

 &ldquo;Light Waves: Atlanta&rdquo; features a 160 ft. long hallway composed of 68 horizontal panes of colored glass. Above the glass are thirty-two computer-controlled slowly moving lights. As the lights pass over the glass forms, the colored shadows mix, reflect and refract, to create an ever-changing pattern of color on the wall. In addition, Janney has composed a sound-score to accompany the &ldquo;light ballet.&rdquo; Composed of environmental sounds, the score draws on indigenous sounds of natural Georgia environments. As well, there are series of &ldquo;touch panels&rdquo; along the hallway. As a person walks by and touches one, he triggers a soft melodic tone, allowing them to playfully interact with the artwork. Together, the interactive light and sound create a relaxing, soothing, yet playfully immersive experience for the weary travelers pass through the space. &ldquo;This is a continuation of my &lsquo;Urban Musical Instrument` series,&rdquo; Janney states. &ldquo;The work expands on some of my earlier experiments with colored shadow and the mysterious properties of reflected light. Together with the sound-score and the interactive element, it`s an interesting new direction for me in this series of work.&rdquo; Contributing Sponsors include: Chauvet Lighting, Harman/JBL speakers and Crown amplifiers. 

Sterile corridor between F1/F2 and the Federal Inspection Station on Concourse F

Atlanta International Airport.

Light Waves

Christopher Janney's installation is at the Atlanta International Airport. 

 Harmonic Runway is an interactive sound and light environ-ment that extends along the Miami International Airport`s 180 foot-long moving walkway, and is composed of 132 sheets of colored glass. The piece`s melodic sound score, activated by strategically placed photo-electric cells, and triggered by the passing movements of travelers, is in harmony with the sounds of the natural environments of South Florida. Moving through the zones of color, the sounds of music, crickets, frogs, or a flock of birds flying over the Everglades can be heard. The forms and phenomena of the piece attempt to reveal an essence, an &ldquo;abstraction,&rdquo; of South Florida, through color and sound. 

Miami Dade Airport

Harmonic Runway

 Shadow Boxing is a harmonious combination of color, form, light and shadow, comprised of aluminum, sand finished frame and tempered colored glass. The artwork takes the form of a canopy that welcomes visitors to the library by washing them with oceanic, indigenous colors during the day with natural light, and artistic lighting in the evening, as they walk through the entrance doors. Janney`s artwork is visually integrated with the facade of the library. "This This piece is at the main entrance of the library which uses the natural light of the day, the existing canopy of the architecture, the glass wall and doors through which the pedestrians enter and exit. DAY LIGHT - to create a pattern in the canopy made of colored glass. In this way, the colored shadows from the glass will make an ever-moving "painting" which will pass over the surface and ground at the entrance to the building. NIGHT LIGHT - it will be lit at night in such a way as the colored glass projects colored shadows onto the building surface. GROUND - a pattern in the ground which reflects the image of the shadow pattern at a certain time of day, say the zenith of the sun on the summer solstice. In this way the shadow pattern will move over this "ground carving" in a fugue-like way, sometimes radically in counterpoint, at other times almost an imitation of the pattern." 

South Regional Library

Shadow Boxing

 Passing Light is a 400 ft. long permanent installation for the new extension of the San Antonio Airport. It is composed of four basic elements: Fast Light: 54 light/ sound &ldquo;points&rdquo; dispersed on each of the three lower walkways, creating a &ldquo;kinetic sound/light environment&rdquo; over the 360 foot long walkway. Visual Music: these points of light/sound &ldquo;play&rdquo; a sequence of different patterns&mdash;solo, pairs, trio, quartet, ordered, random&mdash;creating a soothing chime-like &ldquo;visual music&rdquo; within the space, contrasting with the frenetic pace of the airport. These sound patterns change throughout the day and also play on the hour, as an &ldquo;Environmental Clock.&rdquo; Slow Light: a pattern of colored acrylic forms installed in the canopy, based on the bright festive colors of South Texas, cast a slowly moving pattern across the paseo throughout the day. Sundial: etched in the floor of the paseo is a design which marks high noon of the winter and summer solstice and the two equinoxes. As these special days approach, a strong visual tension is developed between the colored forms and the etched outline on the ground. 

SAIA - long term parking garage

Passing Light

 Harmonic Convergence is one of Artist Christopher Janney's "Urban Musical Instruments." This work Incorporates a diagonal pattern of colored glass together with an interactive sound-score integrated into the existing Mover Station Terminal Connector. As people navigate through the space, their activity influences the melodic layering of natural sound environments- from tropical birds and distant thunder storms to sounds of the Everglades as well as other environments indigenous to South Florida. As sunlight transitions throughout the space, the colored glass casts dramatic, constantly-changing shadows across the floor, allowing passengers to immerse themselves in what Janney calls "an abstraction of South Florida in color and sound." 

Miami International Airport

Harmonic Convergence

This is a video of the light and sound installation.

 An eight-story glass, light and interactive sound installation, Rainbow Pass Green functions as a way-finding system to navigate the seven floors of the central garage which serves all terminals. The work is comprised of a colored-glass skin with base color Red in the South East tower and Green in the NE tower, accompanied by a sound score. The artist`s intent is to reveal the &ldquo;hidden music&rdquo; inherent in the architecture, from highlighting the rhythmic pattern of the glass facade to the seven-floor structure of the building, to the movement of pedestrians throughout the building waiting areas and elevators. The artwork relates both to the scale of the building, interior and exterior, as well as the scale of the airline passengers. 

Southeast and Northeast Stair Towers and Elevator Lobbies

Logan Airport - Central Garage

Rainbow Cove

An eight-story glass, light and interactive sound installation, Rainbow Pass Green functions as a way-finding system to navigate the seven floors of the central garage which serves all terminals of the Boston Logan International Airport.

 &ldquo;Sonic Fireflies,&rdquo; is an interactive sound and light installation created by renowned architect and composer Christopher Janney. Inspired both by the flashes of fireflies and the sounds of the sea, &ldquo;Sonic Fireflies&rdquo; is a permanent installation that creates an enchanting and engaging welcome to the resort`s OceanSide walkway overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This one-of-a-kind artwork created exclusively for Revel is composed of numerous elements. First, as passersby enter the space, they will hear a series of environmental sound tracks &ndash; from breaking ocean waves, seagulls chirping and calls of children playing, to deep water sounds such as whales, porpoises and &ldquo;mermaids.&rdquo; Then, by walking beneath one of the 63 &ldquo;electronic fireflies,&rdquo; they will trigger soft accents of flutes, marimbas, tabla drums and oboes paired with the flash of a colored light. Each firefly unit contains a small audio speaker, a full-color computer-controlled LED light and sonar-sensor detecting movement throughout the space. At certain times of the day, structured patterns of light and sound, or &ldquo;The Ghost&rdquo; as Janney calls it, will also appear to simulate a group of fireflies flying through the space all at once. &ldquo;&lsquo;Sonic Fireflies` is a sonic portrait of a soothing ocean oasis; a place of creative stimulation,&rdquo; said Janney, who has also created installations in a number of large public spaces including the Dallas, Boston, Miami and Sacramento airports, as well as the New York City subway. &ldquo;All my scores change on any given time or day so it keeps the space interesting and refreshing for guests.&rdquo; &ldquo;Sonic Fireflies is my favorite installation on the entire property, especially in the morning,&rdquo; said Creative Director Mitch Gorshin. &ldquo;The sense of enchantment, whimsy and peacefulness that is created as a result of human engagement is nothing less than dreamlike. Christopher Janney is the coolest artist/composer one could ever meet. His command of sound, light, trends and the understanding of the human spirit is clearly evident in all that he creates. REVEL is without question, honored to curate the work of Christopher Janney and we are proud of this unique opportunity to share his work with all of our guests.&rdquo; 

Sonic Fireflies

 This sculpture transforms the architect`s &ldquo;entry circle&rdquo; into an intriguing, mysterious interactive light/sound environment, setting the tone for the entrance to this new campus and a statement on the relationship between high technology and &ldquo;creative play&rdquo;. 

Manchester Community College

Sonic Gates: MCC

 This piece is Janney`s response to the heritage and history of Hyattsville, MD. It was commissioned by Prince Georges County Art in Public Places Program and is the result of the competition won by the artist in 2002. This interactive performance sculpture creates a &ldquo;sonic portrait&rdquo; of Prince George`s County. It is composed of 5 colorful independent 9ft horn instrument forms spaced so people can walk among them. A map of the County is embedded in the instruments. There are a series of &ldquo;hand plates&rdquo; that when touched illuminate and the instruments play a sound or group of sounds from a &ldquo;sound bank&rdquo; &mdash; a combination of environmental, historical and melodic sounds significant to the County and its impact on the region. A County-specific riddle is engraved on a stainless steel plaque at the center of the sculpture. When the riddle is deciphered and &ldquo;hand plates&rdquo; are touched in the correct pattern, the instruments will play a saxophone &ldquo;short&rdquo; in reply. The sculpture is lit from dusk to dawn. 

Hyattsville Justice Center

Hyattsville Horns

 Chromatic Oasis consists of large colored transparent flat glass forms suspended horizontally from the ceiling under a colored skylight. As passing pedestrians walk underneath the forms, they are bathed in colored light and their movement triggers a mix of melodic and environmental sounds. This &ldquo;sonic portrait&rdquo; is composed of sounds from the history of Sacramento&mdash;from steamboat whistles to horses on cobbled streets. The presence of Chromatic Oasis changes the visual and aural aspects of the terminal for the nearby pedestrians, just as the pedestrians change the environment of the terminal by interacting with the piece, creating a place of rest, an &lsquo;oasis`, within the airport environment. 

Sacramento International Airport 

Chromatic Oasis

 Light Waves, an interactive artwork on the west facade of Orlando`s main public library was commissioned by the Orlando Public Arts Commission, and opened in November 2001. The piece is composed of four 40 foot tall transparent colored glass forms attached to the side of the 60-foot tall John Johansen building. When activated, a series of &ldquo;touch plates&rdquo; trigger the light within the forms along with an accompanying sound. The four &lsquo;curved stripes` undulate like waves, in stark contrast to the verticality of the building`s &ldquo;concrete brute&rdquo; surface. Playing Light Waves creates a &ldquo;kinetic painting&rdquo; generating patterns of sounds and colors, which change depending on the intensity of the sunlight and atmospheric conditions. The piece is illuminated at night with neon encased in the base of each &lsquo;stripe.` Light Waves is a counter-point to Johanson`s unique building and connects pedestrians to the structure and the surrounding urban environment. 

 Christopher Janney is an accomplished composer and architect (B.A. from Princeton,1973, magna cum laude), where he studied with Michael Graves and Rosalind Krauss, and an M.S. from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1978). Janney has also been a Research Fellow at MIT&rsquo;s Center for Advanced Visual Studies (1980-1990) and a Visiting Professor at Cooper Union&rsquo;s School of Architecture (1991-2004) under Dean John Hejduk. As a creator of experimental performance environments, Janney has also collaborated with numerous artists and performers including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sara Rudner &ndash; former principal dancer with Twyla Tharp &ndash; and The Persuasions. Additionally, Janney has toured the world with his &ldquo;Sonic Forest&rdquo; and other installations at major music festivals including Glastonbury, Download and Hyde Park Calling in the U.K. and Bonnaroo and Coachella in the U.S. 

Christopher Janney

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