September 6, 2001, San Francisco, California
The Post Conference technical tour will begin at 8 am and visit some of the very interesting sites along the San Francisco waterfront. Descriptions of the sites are given below. These have been especially selected because they have been enjoyed by previous visitors to San Francisco. The tour will return from the Bay Model via a ferry ride across San Francisco Bay. Prof. Robert L. Wiegel, University of California, Berkeley, will narrate the tour with George Domurat, Corps of Engineers and Lesley Ewing, California Coastal Commission.
The Wave Organ is a wave-activated acoustic sculpture located on a jetty in the San Francisco Bay. The concept was developed by Peter Richards and was installed in collaboration with sculptor and master stone mason George Gonzales. Inspiration for the piece came from artist Bill Fontanašs recordings made of sounds emanating from a vent pipe of a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia.Wave Organ is located on a jetty that forms the small Boat Harbor in the Marina district of San Francisco. The jetty itself was constructed with material taken from a demolished cemetery, providing a wonderful assortment of carved granite and marble, which were used in the construction of this piece. The installation includes 25 organ pipes made of PVC and concrete and are located at various elevations within the site, allowing for the rise and fall of the tides. Sound is created by the impact of waves against the pipe ends and the subsequent movement of the water in and out of the pipes. The sound heard at the site is subtle, requiring visitors to become sensitized to its music, and at the same time to the music of the environment.
This page was last updated on 05/08/01.