If you are visiting the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island and hear the linden trees speaking to you, you are not imagining things.

It’s a site-specific, voice-based, sound installation from Finnish interdisciplinary artist Hans Rosenström.

What You Need To Know

“Out of Silence” is a new sound installation at FDR Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island

There are 14 speakers in the rows of linden trees at the park to provide the sound

The installation will be there through June 21

“I very much wanted to create something that asks for your attention, and your acumen, especially at the slower beginning, you have to listen to your surroundings and find a relationship,” he said of the installation, where depending on where you are standing, it will sound different. The installation, which features 14 speakers in the trees, is the result of a collaboration between Rosenström and independent vurator Alina Girshovich. It’s inspired by the music of Estonian vomposer Arvo Pärt and the architecture of the park designed by Louis Kahn, who was also born in Estonia. 

“I realized that’s there’s a lot of similarity and overlap about how they approached each of their disciplines; so how Arvo Pärt talks about music, it’s very similar to how Louis Kahn talks about architecture,” said Girshovich.

The Estonian vocal ensemble Vox Clamantis was also part of the collaboration. The piece runs around 14 minutes and it’s played on the hour from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. everyday except Tuesday, when the park is closed. Rosenström saic since he is not a musician or a composer, he did write text for the work, it was important to work with people who know Pärt’s music. 

“Instead of giving them sheets, we went to a room and worked on a soundscape together basically improvising things and discussing,” he said. 

The team hopes “Out of Silence” will provide a different tempo to the city’s pulse, through public art. 

“To be able to just walk into a piece and enjoy it is what we try to do here, ” said Girshovich. 

Plan your vist by clicking here. The installation will be at the park through June 21.