Sound artist and electronic musician Stephen Vitiello created a new sound and light installation at the Davis, in collaboration with lighting designer Jeremy Choate. Featuring his field recordings from the Australian outback, the Canadian wilderness, and New York City’s streets, Vitiello’s soundtrack moved between the abstract and the recognizable, attuning us to the subtleties of ambient sound. In this piece, sound is connected with light and color, creating an immersive synaesthetic experience. The lighting is designed in sympathy with the audio, and the resulting combination surrounds the visitor, altering our spatial perception.

The work of Stephen Vitiello ranges from mesmerizing soundscapes to installations, and includes collaborations with composers and visual artists. Most well-known for his World Trade Center Recordings, in which he created a sonic portrait of one of the towers through the use of contact microphones, Vitiello’s recent work links sound with light and color to create an enveloping physical experience.

The presentation of Stephen Vitiello’s installation at the Davis is made possible by the generous support of the Wellesley College Friends of Art and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Elaine Mehalakes
Kemper Curator of Academic Programs