Staten Island Arts and the Design Trust for Public Space will launch the Sonic Gates sound sculpture walk created by artist Volker Goetze on July 14 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:00 pm at the St. George Ferry Terminal, followed by performances at sculpture sites on Bay Street, and an opening reception from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at ArtSpace @ Staten Island Arts, 23 Navy Pier Court, Staten Island. 

The seven sound sculptures and a mural, on view for a year, are located along a wide-ranging stretch of landscape in St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton, spanning Bay Street’s diverse storefronts, lively Tompkinsville Park, and the expansive waterfront.

The installations vary from nautical buoys covered with bells on the waterfront along Front Street, to “talking” PVC pipes at the Barrett Triangle, to a self-playing wind harp on Thompson Street, to a drum totem for weekly drum circles in Tompkinsville Park, to a 90-foot-long mural of the endangered Right Whale at a bus shelter that pays homage to Staten Island’s maritime heritage.

A team of Staten Island-based artists directed by Volker Goetze created the artworks with Staten Island MakerSpace as an integral community partner. The team includes Scott Van Campen, Alassane Drabo, DB Lampman, Jeremy Munson, Lina Montoya, Arthur Simms, and students from PS 78.

The opening performances by Dawn Crandell, James Shipp, Xi. Me. Na, Yacouba Sissoko, and Martita Abril at each public art piece will lead the audience along this walk.

Sonic Gates is one of two public art pilot projects as part of Future Culture: Connecting Staten Island’s Waterfront, an initiative developed by Staten Island Arts and the Design Trust for Public Space to foster community connections and shape a vision for culture on the North Shore of Staten Island. The public art projects are the outcome of our collaboration that has, for the past two years, examined how cultural activities can enrich the publicly and privately held open spaces on the North Shore. The Future Culture project has released a set of initial recommendations for long-term strategies for neighborhood revitalization, sustainability and equitable economic development. The pilot projects were chosen for their connection to the Future Culture Initial Recommendations, visionary concepts, artistic merit, and prominent roles given to local artists and residents.

Sonic Gates is made possible through the generous support of the New York City Department of Small Business Services and Neighborhood 360, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, NYC & Co Foundation, Citizens Committee, Thornton Tomasetti, 100 Gates.
 
Sonic Gates is deeply grateful to our City and State government and community partners who have made the project possible: New York City Department of Administrative Services, New York City Department of Small Business Services, New York City Department of Transportation, New York City Parks, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Office of the Staten Island Borough President; .