FREE! Talking Tubes by DB Lampman for Sonic Gates. Photo: Sam Samore

DESIGN TRUST FOR PUBLIC SPACE AND STATEN ISLAND ARTS LAUNCH
THE SONIC GATES SOUND SCULPTURE WALK ON THE NORTH SHORE OF STATEN ISLAND

The public art series features seven sound sculptures and a mural at locations in St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton The accompanying online guide SonicGates.com provides
a downloadable map for the sculpture walk and information on associated local cultural events #SonicGates #connectingcultureSI

Float, Float, Float On by Arthur Simms is a floating sculpture collaged with nautical buoys and bells that will create chords as waves splash through and around it. Photo by Sam Samore

The seven

sound sculptures and a mural, on view for a year, are located along a wide-ranging stretch of the landscape in St. George,
Tompkinsville, and Stapleton, spanning Bay Street’s diverse storefronts, lively Tompkinsville Park, and the expansive
waterfront.
The installations vary from nautical buoys covered with bells on the waterfront along Front Street, to “talking” PVC
pipes at the Barrett Triangle, to a self-playing wind harp on Thompson Street, to a drum totem for weekly drum circles
in Tompkinsville Park, to calming wind chimes in Tappen Park, to a 90-foot-long mural of the endangered Right Whale
at a bus shelter that pays homage to Staten Island’s maritime heritage.

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A team of Staten Island-based artists directed by Volker Goetze created the artworks with Staten Island MakerSpace
as an integral community partner. The team includes Scott Van Campen, Alassane Drabo, DB Lampman, Jeremy
Munson, Lina Montoya, Arthur Simms, and students from PS 78. Sam Samore is the artistic advisor.

The opening performances by Dawn Crandell, James Shipp, Xi. Me. Na, Yacouba Sissoko, and Martita Abril at each
public art piece will lead the audience along this walk.

“We hope to attract visitors as well as our fellow Staten Islanders from the ferry down through the neighborhoods of the
North Shore to see all the cool and amazing things that we are doing here. Sonic Gates is one of the many exciting
projects created by the prolific artists who live and work on Staten Island — thanks in great part to the local
organizations such as Staten Island MakerSpace and Staten Island Arts that support us,” said artist Volker Goetze.

The accompanying online guide SonicGates.com features detailed information on the artworks, the artists, and the
related events, and provides a downloadable map to easily walk or bike from one installation to another. “This one-stop
portal is a visitors’ gateway to the Sonic Gates public art series created by Staten Island artists and located throughout
the North Shore of Staten Island. SonicGates.com is an all-in-one resource for visitors and Staten Islanders to plan an
enjoyable day with their friends and family,” said John Schettino, designer of SonicGates.com and a Design Trust Fellow.
Sonic Gates is an initiative of Future Culture developed by Staten Island Arts and the Design Trust for Public Space to
foster community connections and shape a vision for culture on the North Shore of Staten Island. The Future Culture
Project is supported in part by the NYC Department of Small Business Services’ Neighborhood 360° Grant program,
which has invested $1.54 million for revitalization projects in Downtown Staten Island in partnership with local
stakeholders.

SONIC GATES ART INSTALLATIONS

Nested Bells, 7’ 2’’ long, 3’ wide, 7’ 2’’ tall, by Jeremy Munson at the St. George Ferry
Terminal is a metal arch with three movable bell tubes that create a three-note harmony.

Wind Harp No. 7, 17’ long, 2’6’’ wide, 12’ tall, by Scott Van Campen, in Maker Park is an
Aeolian wind harp with steel strings that will “sing” as a result of the “von Kármán Vortex
Street,” a repeating pattern of swirling vortices.

Drum Totem, 3’ wide, 16’ tall, by Alassane Drabo, in Tompkinsville Park is a structure of oil drums
accented with found driftwood and skinned drums that can be played to form a drum circle.

Talking Tubes, 7’ 9’’ long, 5’ 55’’ wide, 8’ tall, by DB Lampman at the Barrett Triangle
is a composition of colorful PVC tubes that can be played to create percussive
sounds.

Float, Float, Float On, 3’ in diameter, 7’ tall, by Arthur Simms in the harbor off the Stapleton
Esplanade is a floating sculpture collaged with nautical buoys and bells that will create
chords as waves splash through and around it.

Dolphins del Fin, 6’ long, 1’ 6’’ wide, 4’ tall, by Lina Montoya on a Bay Street median is a
series of dolphin and wave-shaped sculptures built from recycled bottle caps that will
rattle with the wind.

DNA (Dynamic Nature Art), 10’ long, 12’ tall, by DB Lampman in Tappen Park is a helix of
wind chimes assembled by students from PS 78 floating above the heads of its viewers.

Ballena & Vallenato (Whale and Calf), 90’ wide, 10’ tall, by Lina Montoya in partnership
with 100 Gates Project is a colorful mural on the bus shelter at Barrett Triangle that
depicts the endangered Right Whale and her calf.

Staten Island’s North Shore waterfront, home to hundreds of artists and arts organizations, is rapidly developing with
residential, commercial and urban planning projects such as the Empire Outlets, Lighthouse Point, New York Wheel,
Urby, and the proposed Bay Street Corridor Rezoning. In the midst of this change, Future Culture: Connecting Staten
Island’s Waterfront, a project of Design Trust for Public Space in partnership with Staten Island Arts, supports and
promotes the area’s cultural communities, develops art and cultural initiatives, and strengthens the relationship
between the cultural sector and owners and stewards of the property.

Design Trust and Staten Island Arts, working with local residents, artists, civic activists, and small business owners,
developed an initial set of design and policy recommendations outlining strategies for equitable neighborhood
revitalization and sustainability, released in March 2017. In conjunction with the recommendations, Staten Island Arts
issued a call for pilot projects to activate and connect the publicly- and privately-owned common spaces in the North
Shore. This call resulted in two pilot projects, Sonic Gates and Court Yard Fridays, which encourage exploration of and
enliven underused public spaces on the North Shore of Staten Island.

To download the Future Culture Initial Recommendations, visit http://designtrust.org/projects/futureculture/activities-and-outputs/
To learn more about the Future Culture project, visit http://designtrust.org/projects/future-culture/

Staten Island Arts
Staten Island Arts (formerly known as The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island, or, COAHSI) is Staten
Island’s arts council, a service organization that provides resources to individuals and organizations in the arts, cultural,
and humanities sector. Our mission is to cultivate a sustainable and diverse cultural community for the people of Staten
Island by making the arts accessible to every member of the community; supporting and building recognition for artistic
achievement; and providing artists, organizations, and arts educators the technical, financial and social resources to
encourage cultural production. http://statenislandarts.org/

Design Trust for Public Space
The Design Trust for Public Space is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the future of public space in New York City.
Our projects bring together city agencies, community groups and private sector experts to make a lasting impact—
through design—on how New Yorkers live, work and play. Our work can be seen, felt and experienced throughout all five
boroughs—from parks and plazas to streets and public buildings. The Design Trust saved the High Line structure,
developed the Community Design School for Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and created the city’s first comprehensive
sustainability guidelines that became the precursor to Local Law 86 and PlaNYC, now OneNYC. http://designtrust.org/
Neighborhood 360°
The NYC Department of Small Business Services’ Neighborhood 360° program identifies, develops, and launches
commercial revitalization projects in partnership with local stakeholders. Through proactive planning and targeted
investments, Neighborhood 360° supports projects that strengthen and revitalize the streets, small businesses, and
community-based organizations that anchor New York City neighborhoods. For more information on Neighborhood
360°, please visit www.nyc.gov/neighborhood360.
NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to
good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more
information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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NYC DOT Art
Launched in October 2008, the New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program invigorates the City’s
streetscapes with engaging temporary art installations. The Program partners with community-based organizations
and artists to present murals, sculptures, projections and performances on plazas, fences, barriers, bridges and
sidewalks for up to 11 months. Projects are presented within four program tracks: Arterventions, Barrier
Beautification, Community Commissions and Art Display Case. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dotart.
NYC Parks
For over 50 years, NYC Parks’ public art program Art in the Parks has brought contemporary public artworks to over
200 of the city’s parks, collaborating with arts organizations and artists to produce over 2,000 works by 1,300 notable
and emerging artists. For more information on works currently on view, and for tips on how to exhibit with Parks, visit
our website.
Sonic Gates Community Partners
100 Gates
Citizens Committee
Island Voice
Projectivity
PS 78
Staten Island MakerSpace
Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness
Universal Temple of the Arts
Sonic Gates New York City and State Partners
NYC Department of Small Business Services
NYC Department of Transportation
NYC Parks
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Office of the Staten Island Borough President