Urban Symphony

Who doesn’t remember makeshift telephones made of wire and cans? Urban Symphony interactive sculpture is inspired by this childhood toys, but a bit more complex and a lot cooler looking!

In conjunction with WUF9 Kuala Lumpur, we had been invited to collaborate with UNHabitat to set up a pop-up art installation intended to promote awareness of quality public spaces in Kuala Lumpur city. 2 days on-site installation works conducted by the team, as we remarked that erecting the arts work on the street allowed passers-by to engage with their artistic process, ask question about the work, the process and goals.

UPVC pipes given the designer great flexibility in forming the angle and shape with its off-the-shelves angle joint. This interactive art formed by the combination of 36 vertical modules of various heights. As people speak into these modules, their voices are amplified and carried out into the air. The breeze carries these words and ideas into the atmosphere to create a collective voice. Trumpet-shaped listening devices are installed at the end of the each module, where painted Symphony Horns standing high – some angles toward the sky, some is pointed to the human level. Children can explore the playful qualities of sound by talking into one end of the sculpture to produce sound for the listener on the other end.

The installation work intended to bring the community together; it is the place that people meet with friends, stop for lunch, enjoy the time with family; The material used for seats and benches are 100% recyclable, these seating has been landscaped with 55 recycled pallets placed in between the Symphony Horn intended to break down the conventions of standardized seating patterns, utilizing height and space, as well as offering a large amount of external seating in this familiar urban space.

Tape arts be part of this installation work to entice, delight and direct the pedestrian flow and experience this public space. The colourful lines arts borrows from the language of KL-city metro map vector as it is a vibrant and memorable wayfinding indication of this growing urban legible city. 

Urban Symphony, a fundamentally demonstrated versatile space that hold any kind of public activity. The installation allowed all kinds of interactions, and allowed visitors to participate in the exhibition and programs organized by UNHabitat for WUF9. It has also successfully offered pedestrians a new experience with its symphony and optical sensation, inverting and magnifying the urban landscape.

Project info:

Architect: Garis Architects Sdn Bhd & GAde Design Workshop

Collaborator: UNHabitat (represented by David A. Sagita & Mitiku Woldesenbet)

Lead Designer: Ar Steven Ngu Ngie Woon

Design Team: Albert Chua, Daniel Tiong, Loh Kwan Seng, Ng Zhia Zhing, Jonathan Lim, Tan Chew Yee

Photographs: Steven Ngu, Ng Zhia Zhing