With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today .
LA State Historic Park Becomes An Invisible Sound Machine With Virtual Art Installation
The map shows how Jimena Sarno designed the soundscape for Score For Here, all intermixed symbols showing how sound interacts with the physical landscape.
(
Courtesy Jimena Sarno
)
It isn’t every day that you get to compose a piece of music by simply walking, but now’s your chance. Artist Jimena Sarno’s “Score for Here” installation, which opened this past weekend, allows visitors at downtown's Los Angeles State Historic Park to compose sound in real time as they stroll around the grounds.
Walking into different parts of the park triggers a different sound from Sarno’s collection — such as an old out-of-tune piano from a home in Thailand, a broken faucet from Buenos Aires, and a man working as a mattress cleaner in Iran announcing that he was coming around.
The sounds come from artists, writers, poets, and others from around the world, who gave Sarno soundbites, songs and field recordings that made them feel connected to their land. Sarno is originally from Buenos Aires herself.
Support for LAist comes from
You can access the sounds via a free app on your phone, which you can find thanks to QR codes on-site.
Listen
• 2:12
Listen: one of the otherworldy sounds gathered by Jimena Sarno for Score For Here
Sarno modified all of the sounds through an audio processing technique known as granular synthesis.
“It's basically putting a sound in a blender and then reconfiguring the order and the quality of each of the parts,” Sarno said. “I was interested in not falling into a nostalgic playlist, but rather, sticking with the intimate connection of each person to their chosen sounds.”
Artist Jimena Sarno.
(
Courtesy the artist
)
Visitors end up with a distinct, layered score based on their unique movements. As you move away from the path, you’ll find more layers of sound. Those might be beneath certain trees, on top of a boulder, or through certain “desire paths” created where people take shortcuts that may not be officially designated or paved.
It’s a flip on traditional GPS navigation — instead of the navigation telling you where to go, your own movements tell the app what to create.
Support for LAist comes from
A portion of the graphic map, designed by Sarno, combining the physical space with the invisible spaces of various sounds.
(
Courtesy artist Jimena Sarno
)
Sarno doesn’t read music and doesn’t consider herself a musician, but has been working with sound for a while, she said. Her installations often re-contextualize sound, composing soundscapes that she uses to explore issues around power. Instead of using music, Sarno has created what she calls a “graphic score” with her own symbols, showing where all of the sounds would connect with the physical location of the park.
“I don’t want to call it music, although it is very musical at points,” Sarno said.
The project is inspired by themes of erasure and the displacement of the park’s original inhabitants, the Tongva people.
“My main idea for this project was not to add any more material to the site,” Sarno said. “I wanted something that was ephemeral and immaterial.”
The project was commissioned by the arts nonprofit Clockshop prior to the pandemic, with sound collected over the past several years. The work itself will change over time — the app that generates the scores will remain available indefinitely as the sound bank continues to grow, according to Sarno.
However, the current iteration of the project is set to end Aug. 31.
Support for LAist comes from
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
Immigration raids have caused some U.S. citizens to carry their passports to the store, to school or to work. But what documents to have on you depends on your citizenship. -
The historic properties have been sitting vacant for decades and were put on the market as-is, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.75 million. -
Users of the century old Long Beach wooden boardwalk give these suggestions to safely enjoy it. -
The Newport Beach City Council approved a new artificial surf park that will replace part of an aging golf course. -
The utility, whose equipment is believed to have sparked the Eaton Fire, says payouts could come as quickly as four months after people submit a claim. But accepting the money means you'll have to forego any lawsuits. -
The City Council will vote Tuesday on a proposal to study raising the pay for construction workers on apartments with at least 10 units and up to 85 feet high.
Best of LAist