Sound Is an Invisible Color: Christopher Janney | Louisiana Art & Science Museum

Christopher Janney is a pioneering artist working with sound, color, light, and technology. In addition to transforming the staircase into a musical instrument, this exhibition included a series of interactive sound sculptures as well as architectural drawings and maquettes related to his permanent musical architectural installation for the entrance of Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

Through a partnership between LASM, OLOL Children’s Hospital, and LSU College of Art & Design, the exhibition was accompanied by an immersive performance named Exploring the Hidden Music in the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium during American Heart Month. For the finale, Janney reprised his 1998 composition HeartBeat originally performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov in which musicians perform to the live sound of a dancer’s heartbeat as she moves in “real time.” Baton Rouge’s own award-winning vocalist Quiana Lynell, trumpeter George Bell, and local performers joined Janney and his musicians from the Boston area.  Proceeds went towards art and wellness programming.

To watch a video of the performance, click HERE

Janney’s exhibition accompanied Harmonies in Color: Six Contemporary Perspectives, an exploration of color perception. On view were paintings by Gabriele Evertz, Robert Swain, and Sanford Wurmfeld; photographs by Irene Mamiye, sculptures by Pard Morrison, and “thread works” by Jen Pack. The text elaborated upon major milestones in color’s scientific investigation, themes, and theories.