Winddrone. Photo by Tom Fox.

Frequency of Wind. Photo by Chris Campbell.

Field Frequency

“The Wind Shifts” by Wallace Stevens

This is how the wind shifts:

Like the thoughts of an old human,

Who still thinks eagerly

And despairingly.

The wind shifts like this:

Like a human without illusions,

Who still feels irrational things within her.

The wind shifts like this:

Like humans approaching proudly,

Like humans approaching angrily.

This is how the wind shifts:

Like a human, heavy and heavy,

Who does not care.

Field Frequency is a sound installation of electric wind harps, naturally powered wind harps, and wire-stringed drones that together create a hallucinatory sonic landscape based on the frequency range of wind. Minnesota wind is powerful, mercurial, but can also be microscopically subtle. The sounds in this field range from guttural waves to whispering summer night lullabies that can change a space into something magical. By using these instruments, the wind is occasionally amplified, minimally processed, and reflected so that it becomes a more present, corporeal part of the environment. In addition to the “wind orchestra” instruments played by Chris Campbell, Michael Croswell, and Grant Cutler, other instruments are available for participants to engage.