SoVISA Galactic

Fayen d'Evie leading the procession through the CJM's slanted geometric diamond atrium with Jennifer Justice's wood satellite cane.

Andy Slater runs a long white cane along an exterior wall of the CJM. A person with hair in a ponytail holds a microphone out to capture the sound.

Andy holds a Sonic Torch sonar device to an interior wall of the CJM. A white cane rests in the crook of his arm.

Fayen d'Evie navigating the exterior of the CJM with Jennifer Justice's wood satelite cane.

Sovisa Galactic invited a public audience to participate in a performative multi-sensory wayfinding procession from the outer architecture of The Contemporary Jewish Museum to the inner Blue Cube space. Following the performance, the artists shared their ambitions for SoVISA, the Society of Visually Impaired Sound Artists, a group founded by Andy Slater advocating for the inclusion of sound art in art education and a greater presence in museums.

We employed experimental Sonar Torch “cane” technology to paint an auditory picture of the CJM campus and atrium. Australia-based Fayen d’Evie used the analog device that I hand-carved from wood: a straight cane with satellite-shaped speaker attachment. We asked audience participants to punctuate the soundscape with their own sound elements (foot-tapping, whistles, ginger-snapping) to further explore the rich architectural sound environment.

Audio courtesy of Andy Slater. Photography by Hillary Goidell. Thanks also to Cecile Puretz, Dr. Joshua Miele, and Dr. Sheri Wells-Jensen