BASF helps create total silence in new exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum
March 24 2017 - 8:00AM
Noise is everywhere. In New York City -- ranked among the top 10
loudest cities in the world -- it’s a constant. The din in
restaurants soars over 90 decibels, and subways rushing across the
city register more than 80 decibels. Beginning today, and running
through August 2, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum will offer a
serene and silent escape with its new presentation of Doug Wheeler:
PSAD Synthetic Desert III.
The art work, conceived by Doug Wheeler, realized by the
Guggenheim Museum, and sponsored by BASF Corporation, manipulates
sound, light and space in a “semi-anechoic chamber” designed to
suppress all but the lowest levels of ambient sound. The
installation makes use, in part, of the technology of sound
suppression that is normally applied to experiments and tests in
the realm of sound engineering. The room’s lighting and
configuration are also designed to induce an optical impression of
infinite space. Wheeler compares the visual and acoustic impression
of Synthetic Desert III to his own experience in the deserts of
northern Arizona where near-silent conditions profoundly influence
the visual sensation of distance.
“Silence as we know it measures at 30 decibels, and Wheeler’s
semi-anechoic chamber will measure in the range of 10-15 decibels
-- so quiet it could be possible to hear your own heartbeat,” said
Doyle Robertson, an expert on melamine foam for BASF in North
America.
The exhibit’s anechoic properties are partly enabled by a
product known as Basotect®, a flexible, open-cell melamine foam
with high sound absorption properties. Basotect is used in an array
of architecture, construction and industrial applications such as
the elevator cabs in New York City skyscrapers, where it insulates
noise for some of the fastest elevators (up to 23 miles/hour) in
North America.
Through a blend of chemistry, art and architecture, the
Guggenheim presentation will feature 400 pyramids and 600 wedges of
Basotect covering the chamber’s floor, walls, and ceiling.
From the Guggenheim, Francesca Esmay, Conservator, Jeffrey
Weiss, Senior Curator, and Melanie Taylor, Director of Exhibition
Design, worked for two years with the artist to produce the work,
which was first conceived in 1968 but will be realized here for the
first time. The team carefully selected material to build the
piece.
“Due to Basotect’s properties and design capabilities, it was an
ideal choice for the Guggenheim exhibit,” said Joerg Hutmacher, CEO
of pinta acoustic, which develops three-dimensional ceiling and
wall products for acoustical control. “I am not aware of any other
product that could have been used to do what the artist
envisioned.”
Because of its high sound-absorbing capacities coupled with its
ability to be shaped into almost any form, Basotect empowers and
inspires architects, designers, sound engineers and more to create
spaces that have proper acoustics and are aesthetically pleasing --
whether it’s a sports arena, music venue or recording studio.
Basotect also has excellent fire properties, is extremely
light-weight and easy to install.
“Sound plays a major role in wellness and human health in the
built environment, and we’re pleased to showcase Basotect’s
properties through such an impactful exhibit,” Robertson says.
Doug Wheeler: PSAD Synthetic Desert III is on display on level 7
of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City from March 24
to August 2, 2017. Tickets are available onsite at the Guggenheim
Museum as well as on Guggenheim.org.
For press photos click on the links below:
https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2017/03/03-24-17_BASF_ExhibitGuggenheim1.jpg
Suggested caption: Installation view: Doug
Wheeler: PSAD Synthetic Desert III, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
March 24-August 2, 2017. Photo: David Heald© Solomon R. Guggenheim
Foundation.
https://www.basf.com/press-photos/us/en/photos/2017/03/03-24-17_BASF_ExhibitGuggenheim2.jpg
Suggested caption: Doug Wheeler in the
installation. Installation view: Doug Wheeler: PSAD Synthetic
Desert III, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, March 24-August 2, 2017.
Photo: David Heald© Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
About BASF
BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is
the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany.
BASF has more than 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales
of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North
American operations, visit www.basf.us. At BASF, we create
chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success
with environmental protection and social responsibility. The
approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on
contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors
and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized
into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional
Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil &
Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF
shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London
(BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.
For more information contact:
Jessica Ventura
Sharp Communications, Inc.
Tel: (212) 829-0002, ext. 104
E-mail: jv@sharpthink.com
Laura Partynski
BASF Corporation
Tel: (973) 245-7838
Email: laura.partynski@basf.com
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