New York City’s Park Avenue Armory is host to an immersive, calming porcelain soundscape designed by French artist and composer Céleste Boursier-Mougenot. Titled ‘clinamen’, which refers to the unpredictable movement of atoms, brings a moment of calm to visitors amidst the cityscape. The installation comprises three circular basins, each spanning 40 feet in diameter and holding more than 10,000 gallons of water. Gentle currents propel the bowls across the surface causing spontaneous collisions, as the bowls collide they produce delicate chimes that ripple through the space. No two compositions are ever the same, resulting in an soundscape of chance encounters.
What makes ‘clinamen’ particularly compelling is the way it transforms both the space and audience into active participants. As visitors move around the elevated pools they experience shifting acoustics in response to their position within the space. Sounds emerge from unexpected directions, while the building's vast volume amplifies the subtle collisions into an enveloping soundscape. The work encourages visitors to linger, reflect and share a collective moment of listening.
The installation embraces chance, creating a living composition that continuously evolves through the interaction of water, porcelain, architecture and people. The installation runs from June 10, 2026 - August 2, 2026 at the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, New York.
