Aligning with the peak blooms of Congressional’s three dozen cherry blossom trees, Washington D.C.-based artist Tommy Bobo, in conjunction with Congressional Cemetery, will present a site-specific sculptural installation at a memorial site located in the historic acreage of the cemetery in the style of a ‘wind phone’.
The Landscape Listens is a kinetic meadow of environmental sculptures that coalesces the natural landscape of Congressional Cemetery into an interactive installation. Bobo has crafted an assemblage of 150 reflective sculptures, each responding discreetly to shifting wind currents. As with other rhythms found in nature, like the murmurations of birds in flight or schools of migrating fish, these sculptures are made of individual elements that respond uniquely to its singular conditions but also collectively to its environment. An analog wind phone (風の電話 kaze no denwa) offers visitors a point of connection to speak with those dwelling in other worldly planes. Originally conceived of by Itarū Sasaki for his garden in Ōtsuchi, Japan, the wind phone has appeared in various forms and locations to create a dedicated space for mourning, remembrance and connection. Like portals that dissolve the veil between earthly and spiritual realms, The Landscape Listens attunes visitors to individual and collective feelings of mourning and acts as a vehicle to carry remembrances across the wind.
The state of seasonal change will be an active component of Bobo’s work, which often uses elements of light and dark, reflectivity and refraction as key elements of his practice. With cloud forms, tree blossoms or the overgrowth of grass underneath, The Landscape Listens mirrors ephemeral moments of connection to the cycle of seasonality found in Congressional Cemetery’s natural landscape. From the spring equinox to the summer solstice, visitors are invited to take a respite in Bobo’s meditative environmental installation.
On view March 28, 2024 through July 1, 2024.
Praise for The Landscape Listens from surveyed visitors
“Serene and touching.” | “Healing and beautiful.” | “Such a great reflection tool- a way to make us slow down in this very beautiful place. Thank you.” | “I loved how well the installation fit into the surroundings.” | “So thoughtful – as someone with recent grief I liked that it was interactive.” | “I wish there could be something like this closer to my home this was something I definitely needed in my grief. Being somewhere to share that grief and talk to my dad even if he can’t hear it was so therapeutic.”
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