The sun had just set on the city of Tucson, but the lights did not go out at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Perusers and artists gathered in the courtyard to enjoy food and drinks from local vendors Holy Focaccia and Brick Box.
They all gathered to celebrate Feb. 28, the opening day of MOCA’s most recent exhibition. Titled “Frequencies,” the exhibit explores the fusion of visual and auditory arts, blending unique experiences of audio, visual and tactile sensations.
The result is an immersive experience. Through the efforts of many different artists, “Frequencies” creates wholly unique art installations that provide experiences most art exhibits do not. Vivian Caccuri’s “Weeping Dancer” utilizes soundwaves to create an active art piece.
Speakers and amplifiers create pressure waves in the form of sound, changing the movement of the candles in a unique fashion, as open flames respond to pressure differences in the air.
Other exhibits experiment with sound similarly, such as Nikita Gale’s “DRRRUMMERRRRRR,” which uses water to produce unique sounds on percussion instruments such as drums and cymbals.
MOCA also provides several interactive exhibits. Naama Tsabar’s “Work on Felt” uses the conductivity of felt fabrics to produce the sound of an electric guitar.
The most uniquely interactive exhibit is “Channeling the Ear,” a collaborative effort by MOCA to produce what the museum describes as “a space for listening and pause.”
Benches line half of the space, with embedded headphones that play experimental musical pieces. The other half features genuine vinyl record players with a rack of vinyl records. Instructions for how to operate a vinyl player are taped to the tables for the uninitiated.
The most tactile experience was Karmia Walker’s “Graves for the Rain.” Fluvial soil from the basin of the Santa Cruz River is sculpted into a shape on the ground of a large, rectangular space. Sound loops permeate the space, and the footprints of the artist are pressed into the soil as a symbol.
Visitor engagement assistant Spencer Yeager discusses how the community supports MOCA so that they can provide art to the community.
“We have free admission on Sundays and special openings. That is thanks to the community donors,” Yeager said. They also hold silent auctions to raise more funds for the museum.
MOCA is a non-profit organization, which means they rely on donations and a few sources of income just to keep their doors open.
Visitors to MOCA are not just residents of Tucson. Cameron, 43, and his wife were perusing the gallery after traveling all the way from Tennessee to see it.
“Anything to do with sound or music, I’m interested in,” he said. “As we went through, we picked up more sound and it stayed with us.”
MOCA’s “Frequencies” exhibition will be on display through June 29. The gallery is open Thursday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more details, visit MOCA Tucson.
