• With the onset of spring and the inaugural Brighton Fringe Festival of 1997, Victoria Gardens in central Brighton appeared to have grown a circle of grass mounds, which collectively emitted the sounds of a natural woodland

• Each grass-turfed hexagonal mound was landscaped into the road-locked and largely ornamental public garden, creating a circular arena within the space

• Each mound housed an audio speaker facing the centre of the circle, creating a unique surround-sound experience within the gardens

• One mound held a plaque re-dedicateing the space to the public as a zone of peace.The public adopted the place as both an oasis for contemplation & rest and for activity & play

• A Sound Peace of Turf is an example of a
site-aware installation, meaning it could be situated in a variety of locations by adapting its constituent elements to be appropriate and relevant to the context of the site.
The layout of the mounds and the sonic arena work together to create an encircled space, providing an area that allows the audience to remain part of the wider environment whilst also affording them some objective separation from it.

• The mounds are paradoxical forms, They appear to have grown naturally from the ground, yet they possess a geometric uniform built look. The hexagonal is the most common shape found in the fabric of nature, yet it is never naturally apparent at a human scale

ASPOT encourages audiences to re-appraise what they expect from their public space within the urban environment. It questions our notion of modern day leisure & public art.

Produced By:

ARP (Artists of Retrovert Productions).
Thor Mcb, Jeff Sedgley and Robin Lewis

Commissioned By:

Arts4everyone Lottery Fund.
Brighton & Hove Council and Ecovert.