Harmonic Bridge

HARMONIC BRIDGE IN LONDON, UK

Harmonic Bridge was a sound installation project conducted on the Millennium Bridge in London in June-July 2006. The project utilized vibration sensors on the bridge’s cables to create a soundscape based on the bridge’s structural noises. The initiators were the Mayor of London, Mayer Sound, TATE modern, ARUP, Transport for London, and UNDERGROUND, and soundscape designer/researcher Bill Fontana was involved.

In the audio example you can hear the bridge [3].

16 June, 2006

CONTEXT

An interesting sound installation was set up on the Millennium Bridge to uncover various hidden sounds. The installation focused on exploring the musical qualities of sounds that were concealed within the bridge's structure, including the noise made by people walking on it, wind, bicycles, and other architectural elements that make up the bridge [1].

16 July, 2006

INTERVENTION STRATEGIES

As part of the Harmonic Bridge project, vibration sensors were installed on the bridge's cables. These sensors captured the vibrations and transformed them into different sounds, which varied depending on various factors such as the cable type, wind conditions, load, and pedestrians walking on the bridge [2]. The unique soundscape that was created by the sensors was then played through a network of loudspeakers placed throughout the Tate Modern and Southwark London underground station. This installation was continuously changing and adapting to the environment of the Tate Modern and Southwark station concourse [3].

References

[1] Bill Fontana: Harmonic Bridge. tate.org.uk. Retrieved 7th March 2023, from https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/bill-fontana-harmonic-bridge

[2] Payne, S. R., Davies, W. J., & Adams, M. D. (2009). Research into the practical and policy applications of soundscape concepts and techniques in urban areas.

[3] Bill Fontana-Harmonic Bridge-Tate Modern-2006. resoundings.org. Retrieved 7th March 2023, from https://www.resoundings.org/Pages/Harmonic_Bridge1.htm

Entry submitted by: Xiaochao Chen