Commissioned by NASA, Brooklyn-based StudioKCA has constructed a pavilion that reflects the trajectory of satellites orbiting Earth. Resembling an oversized metal nautilus shell, it features an immersive soundtrack that’s out of this world.
Similar to the experience of putting a shell to one’s ear to hear the ocean, the Orbit Pavilion measures 1,100 square feet, and is constructed from over 3,500 square feet of water-jet cut aluminum panels, which are bolted to an aluminum tube framework that measures 1,300 feet in length.
Being a rather simple structure, the interior is accessed by a curved corridor that forms part of the shell. On the inside there’s a large oculus at the center and orbital paths are scribed into the walls. A 28-channel audio setup is programmed to output an electronic soundtrack that reflects the trajectory satellites whizzing around our planet in space.
“NASA uses a fleet of satellites to observe Earth — its weather patterns, atmosphere, sea levels and ocean currents, winds and storm warnings, and freshwater resources,” said artist and composer, Shane Myrbeck, who composed the sounds used in the project. “The soundscape changes as the satellites move, enabling us to hear them in real-time as their orbits bring them into range hundreds of miles above our heads.”
So where can you experience the sounds of space? The Orbit Pavilion first appeared at the 2015 World Science Festival in New York last May, and will soon be headed to Huntington Library Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California this upcoming spring.
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