“Something Like Fireworks” illuminates the Davis

This February, sound artist Stephen Vitiello installed his new piece "Something Like Fireworks" at the Davis Museum and Cultural Center. The piece is a sound and light installation that was created in collaboration with lighting designer Jeremy Choate. This is the second time the two have collaborated and integrated both  visual and auditory elements with neither taking precedence over the other. In an interview with EB Bartels '10 of WZLY, Vitiello calls the relationship between the light and sound a "sympathetic duet" in which neither is in service of the other. Instead, both work together to create a space in which the viewer can be immersed in the physical experience.

The piece is located on the second floor of the Davis and is site specific, meaning that the artist made it specifically for the Davis.  It sits in a dark room with, according to Vitiello, a "20-foot circular trough with 32 speakers all around the perimeter of it." The series of lights around the circular trough change colors in a rhythmic fashion. The rhythm then interacts with the sound to create different atmospheres within the room. The piece is one that requires the listener to spend some time with it in order to experience the different sounds and patterns of light. The experience it creates is what makes the piece so seductive. At opening night, listeners were leaning on walls, sitting and even lying on the ground looking up at the lights and enjoying the sounds of the space.

The sounds of this piece feature the artist's recordings from the Australian outback, New York City and the Canadian Wilderness. The sounds move between the abstract and the recognizable, and no one moment sounds or feels like the next.  By sitting or lying on the ground and looking up at the lights, the sense of space is automatically altered by the different couplings of light and sound. 

"Something Like Fireworks" is the first sound installation at the Davis and attracted a sizeable crowd at the  opening. However, that excitement seems to have dwindled. When asked how many students have been visiting the piece, a student guard explained that traffic in the Davis is lacking in general. "Something Like Fireworks," she told me, did not get any more traffic than anything else in the museum, as it requires busy Wellesley women to take time out of their day to come and experience it. This might be one reason why Wellesley women have failed to see this wonderful piece. Ariana Rizzitano '11 visited the piece on opening night but has not been there since. When asked why that might be, she explained that the time required to experience the piece has been problematic.

Glenna Moran '11, on the other hand, explains that although she is not opposed to spending some time to go see the piece, the fact that there are few art majors in her group of friends means that there are fewer people pushing her to go to art events or exhibits at the Davis. She also explained that art events can sometimes be intimidating for people who feel like they might not understand the art.

Isolation of art exhibits was a common theme amongst students who were asked why they did not attend openings of the Davis or art events in general. Art events, one student remarked, are not spammed enough outside of Jewett or art classes and conferences.
This contemporary piece, however, requires the visitor to spend time in a space with others, contemplating and experiencing the atmosphere it creates. Thus, the piece in itself rejects the idea of art as isolated and meant to be consumed only by art historians. The intimidation that some may feel in front of a Picasso, a Rivera or a Mondrian due to the massive histories and meanings behind them should not be felt in the presence of "Something Like Fireworks." The piece is free to interpretation, as it is up to the listener to experience it as he or she pleases.

This piece will be up at the Davis until June 6 and is a great break from the stress and chaos of Wellesley life. Sound art may be new to many in the Wellesley community, but that should not hinder anyone from going for a visit.