swamp music

"At the marsh exhibition, there is a whimsical keyboard that enthralled my 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son. Each key made a different animal or insect sound, from the haunting vibrato of the loon to the whine of the mosquito. Their duet was surprisingly jazzy, thanks to the bass note of a bullfrog. "You can play your own natural symphony," a staff biologist, Leah Filo, said." --NY Times

Using original audio recordings from of nearby swamp, this interactive sound installation lets visitors play a small keyboard filled with a very diverse and harmonious collection of animal and insect sounds. Very fun and playable, each piano key is actually loaded with multiple sounds, making for a much larger soundscape than first appears.

This example was made by recording a few minutes of the exhibit. No retouching or cutting was done. (requires QuickTime)

Grand Opening

The Swamp Music soundscape going into place just as the W!LD Center underwent its last polishing steps prior to the W!ldFest Opening Celebration, on July 4th, 2006.

View of the W!LD Center under construction from across its very own man-made swamp. (plantings are not in yet)	Museum visitors use this keyboard to "play" Swamp Music's animal and insect "voices".
The "Loud Crowd" Swamp Music (sound) and "Smelly Crowd" (olfactory) exhibit signage.	A closeup of the Swamp Music "Hear a Loud Crowd" exhibit signage.

The Swamp Music exhibit under construction with inside exhibition swamp, keyboard, and speakers (installed beneath keyboard and signage enclosure).

Another shot of the Swamp Music installation with its happy sound designer and engineer, Phillip Reay.

A unique shot of the W!LD Center's Great Hall ceiling just prior to the July 4th Opening Celebration, attended by Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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→ Visit The W!ld Center website.
→ Read the NY Times Article
→ Read the NYCitymama.com Article
→ Read the Montreal Gazette Article
→ Read the Wikipedia Article
→ Read more about the W!LD Center's Opening Celebration.

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