Ojai Music Festival alumnus Trimpin to create sound sculpture for Ojai’s rebuilt Libbey Bowl

Internationally acclaimed sound sculptor Trimpin will create Sound Arch, a 12-foot sound sculpture, as the permanent art piece for the new Libbey Bowl, Ojai’s outdoor performance venue. Trimpin’s Sound Arch will be unveiled on June 5, 2011 during a community Day of Music, a free event to celebrate the Bowl’s re-opening. Trimpin was selected by the Ojai City Council from more than 30 artists.

Inspired by the curved shape of Libbey Bowl, the12-foot sound sculpture Sound Arch will consist of 24 re-claimed metal tubes of varying lengths with resonators and internal mallet mechanisms, which will produce melodic sounds similar to a xylophone or chiming instrument. Positioned in front of the new Libbey Bowl as the main entry point, Sound Arch will be activated by a motion sensor as visitors approach the sculpture, playing electronically pre-composed musical sequences. The permanent art piece which will be open year-round will also have the ability to be operated manually or as a stand-alone instrument.

Trimpin, who has been a featured and beloved Ojai Music Festival artist in 2006 and 2009, will begin construction on Sound Arch later this year.

Artistic rendering by Roger Beerworth