The Place Where You Go to Listen

The Place Where You Go to Listen is an installation at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks , Alaska . The concept comes from the American composer John Luther Adams . It is supposed to remind of a legend according to which an Inupiaq woman heard unheard things and animal sounds at a place called Naalagiagvik today.

The music you hear at this location is not random, but is calculated by a computer connected to several weather stations. These weather stations are located in different parts of Alaska and the music is tuned to this data. Most of the time during the day you can hear the “daily chorus”, which, when the sun is not shining, sounds quieter and on a smaller pitch. As soon as the sun comes out, this sound can be heard over four octaves. The aurora borealis also have a special sound. In the evening the daytime chorus is replaced by the “night chorus”. The moon appears here as a silver sounding noise. In the event of a small earthquake, the "earth drums" kick in. Should an earthquake hit Fairbanks, the room would boom at 24.27 Hz.