Art installation pays homage to Shakespeare

Professor Michael Century took over the EMPAC Goodman Studio 1 to perform his sound art installation The Isle is Full of Noises. Running from November 27 to 29, the installation used recordings of dialogue from sections of William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Visitors were free to move about the room as sounds of nature are mingled with spoken syllables in order to reflect the music and nature described in the story. Century was able to manipulate the phenomic units of notable monologues from characters Miranda and Caliban by speed and volume—making his piece a live performance. He used arrays of speakers called “Wave Field Synthesis” in order to place sounds in specific areas of the room. There are several focal points where a listener can stand, sit, or recline and feel the sensation of waves of sound moving toward, across, and finally away from their bodies.