Wind Harps, Wave Organs, and Other Acoustic Sculptures

While there is no doubt that Mohican Wind Harps has a great selection of amazing Aeolian, or wind, harps, the reality is that the artwork they create is just scratching the surface of acoustic sculptures. And, luckily enough for us lovers of art, some of these fine, musical pieces are displayed in public for all of us to enjoy whenever we wish.

 

Perhaps the world’s most famous acoustic sculpture is also possibly the largest Aeolian harp on the planet. Sitting nearly 250 feet above sea level, the 92-foot tall San Francisco Wind Harp was created out of steel by the sculptors Lucia and Aristides Demetrios in 1967. As you can see and hear here, the sounds this massive sculpture makes as the wind plays across its surface are haunting, mournful, fleeting.

 

Also in the City by the Bay is the Wave Organ that is played by waves rolling to shore. Its music, depending upon the weather and sea conditions, varies from the long calls that a whale might make to techno pops and shrieks. Some have even compared some of its tunes to a dentist’s drill.   

 

This stunning acoustic sculpture has been compared to looking like a wrecked alien craft. Made out of a climbing spiral of metal pipes, the Singing, Ringing Tree brings to me thoughts of an angry tornado. This wind powered acoustic sculpture sits in the Pennine hills above Burnley in Lancashire, England. Its sound, as you can see and here, is futuristic, metallic, and constant.

 

Installed at London’s Canary Wharf, the Aeolus Acoustic Wind Pavilion looks something like a cross-section cut of a giant metallic hedgehog. Close your eyes while listening to it and you’ll be sure that a space ship is on its way in to zoom you away.    

 

Of course, Mohican Wind Harps also has commercial and unique harps for you to enjoy. Its Garden sprite Aeolian wind harp is still small enough for most backyards, while its 11-foot tall Enlightenment is perfect for an office space’s courtyard.