ABOUT

Murmur is a precast concrete acoustic sculpture that operates as a bandshell and whisper dish. Installed in Piedmont Park in Atlanta, GA, Murmur activates space by collecting and projecting sound across a section of the park. Located in the western most green space of Oak hill nearest the 12th St. park entrance, the single structure makes use of parabolic geometry to collect, focus, and amplify sound waves between corresponding focal points. The sculpture is activated by a user speaking into the center of the dish which bounces sound across the field carrying a simple murmur across hundreds of feet. Additionally the sculpture serves as an auditory performance bandshell dispersing sound to gathered people. The combination of hyper focused sound movement and broad dispersal develops a dynamic, dual experience that fosters a playful dialogue between people.

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Murmur is constructed of precast concrete, dyed black, and polished to a terrazzo finish exposing the Georgia marble aggregate within. A four part mold was constructed at the Digital Fabrication Laboratory at Georgia Tech utilizing parametric design software integrated with CNC machining to create a two way coffer system of plywood. The total 7,900 pound sculpture was then cast and polished at Dex by Gate in Atlanta.

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 The sculpture was designed, fabricated, and installed by a group of graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Architecture (SoA) at Georgia Tech originating from a course called Parametric Precast led by professor and designer Tristan Al-Haddad. The project was funded by the SoA, The Precast Concrete Institute, and The Piedmont Park Conservancy in partnership with the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs and Dex by Gate.