Listening of the Light Exhibit

At the beginning of this week in the Cowgill Lobby, Visiting Assistant Professor of Practice Madison Cook offered a glimpse into her expanding constellation of research. Her exhibit, Listening to the Light, explores how solar geometry and atmospheric space can shape architectural form. The result of three years of pedagogical experimentation, the exhibition presents two-dimensional representations of solar angles alongside a collection of observational instruments, each precisely designed to witness fleeting moments in time.

Questions of temporality and multi-sensory perception suggest opportunities for transdisciplinary collaboration that explores the musical potential of daylight. Light and sound intersect as vibrations perceived through sensorial organs. Ears, eyes, and the whole body perceive waves differently. Yet, perception organizes time, space, and ways of feeling and being. If music is organized sound over time, and sounds are resonant vibrations, how do we listen to light? Similarly, how do we think of the space created by sounds?

This body of work was realized by Madison in collaboration with Eduardo Sato, PhD, Assistant Professor in the School of Performing Arts, with funding support from Virginia Tech's Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT). Produced by Kate Rotolo (research assistant), Natalie Krentz (research assistant), Grace Kozubowski (graduate research assistant), Macy Hall (research assistant), and all of Madison's current and former beginning design students.