Diapason and its forerunner Studio 5 Beekman were galleries devoted primarily to immersive sound and multimedia installations. A “sound gallery” is different from other settings for listening such as concert halls, churches, art galleries, museums, black box theaters, “alternative” or pop-up spaces, salons, night clubs, recording studios, living rooms or “the world” (i.e. using earphones). Just as these various spaces grow, more or less spontaneously, out of the specific needs of the kinds of music (and other activities) performed or presented within them, as well as the social structures that engender them, so the sound gallery aligns listeners’ social interactions, bodily positions (vis-à-vis the sound producers) and mental focus to coordinate with the structure of the work presented.
The range of work presented at Diapason encompassed the whole spectrum of approaches to immersive “sound art”. There were sculptures that emitted sound, multimedia installations, generative analog synthesizer patches that played continuously, responsive software-based installations using sensors, computer-generated algorithmic installations using only speakers, performative and audience-interactive pieces. One piece consisted of about 100 balloons slowly deflating through tiny, adjustable tubes. Another contained a large pool of bleach, into which a bio-luminescent chemical dripped. Another used a film projector as its main sound source. Still, the most prevalent type of work was the multichannel sound piece, either computer-generated in real-time or fixed media.
Diapason filled a need. It was not a commercial art gallery that occasionally presented works with sound as a component. Sound was its central mission. I am grateful to the many composers, performers, and people from diverse disciplines such as architecture, film, dance, curation and even computer programming, who presented work at the gallery. I am also deeply indebted to Kirk and Liz Radke for supporting Diapason for many years, to Ursula Scherrer for helping to realize the project, to La Monte Young for providing the inspiration for a listening space, to Phill Niblock for his extraordinary support, to Micah Silver, Wolfgang Gil, Daniel Neumann and especially Lise Soskolne for their invaluable assistance running the space.
Based in Brooklyn, Michael J. Schumacher has innovated in the area of spatialized sound and algorithmic composition since the 1980s, creating multi-channel, generative "Room Pieces" presented in galleries, museums, concert halls, public and private spaces. His interest in the relationship of musical form, architecture and social spaces led to the founding of Diapason Sound Art, a gallery devoted to the presentation of multi-channel sound installations, long-duration performances and intermedia artworks. The gallery's two high quality sound systems and its attention to the details of heightening aural perception made it an optimal space for creating and experiencing minimalist and process-based work. In its 15 years of existence Diapason presented over 300 artists at a time when sound art was emerging as a distinct practice in the United States.
WEBSITE: michaeljschumacher.com
