At the UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum I facilitated a community sound bath that interacts with our sound reactive luminescent sculpture, Floating Forest.

The UMLAUF premiered the grand scale sound-responsive light installation, Floating Forest, in their gallery. This site-specific exhibition marked the first project that this team of talented artists, designers, and architects has ever created together. Floating Forest was conceived of and built by four Texas-based women: Kate Dibble, Judy Labib, Nicole Mwei, and Fatima Carbajal-Betts.

The Floating Forest team’s guiding vision was to create an installation that is truly accessible to all people, constructed from materials that have a small carbon footprint. The installation brings the UMLAUF garden into the gallery, with an audio-visual twist. The Forest consists of 24 twelve-foot tall 100% recyclable wool felt hovering light-filled “trees,” assembled with sewing machines and hung from the copper frame. The felt was sourced and CNC cut with catenary curves by Sutherland Felt in Michigan. The parabolic holes reveal lights inside that are programmed to respond to sounds in the gallery.   

The team intends for this immersive encounter to serve as a medium for communication, sharing, and the pursuit of knowledge, urging visitors to uncover commonalities and grow in the process. Within this dynamic environment, every voice finds resonance, each presence is lauded, and every interaction ignites a symphony of luminescence. Floating Forest epitomizes inclusivity, where engagement amplifies response, fostering wonder, unity, and collaboration beyond conventional boundaries.