On Saturday, March 5, 2022 during sunset, Los Angeles-based composer/performers Byron Westbrook, Celia Hollander and Jeremiah Chiu created a sonic intervention with artist Halsey Rodman’s Gradually/We Became Aware/Of a Hum in the Room. This was the first activation of “Sometimes it is a Murmur, Sometimes it is a Pulse;” the second phase of Rodman’s project which was first installed on the HDTS “Andy’s Gamma Gulch” site in Pioneertown in 2014.

During their hour-long performance through a customized 6-channel sound system located inside and outside of the sculpture, Westbrook, Hollander and Chiu each gave a distinct voice to one face of the 3-sided structure, responding to both the bold colors of the work as well as the changing hues represented in the landscape. The audience was invited to navigate the environment and explore different points of visibility and audibility within and around Halsey’s structure.

This event was curated and designed by Byron Westbrook for High Desert Test Sites