Category Archives: Featured Intermedia

Featured Intermedia, Installation, Intermedia

Defensible Space

Defensible Space is a large-scale artwork that explores the raw and elemental power, effect, and impression of wildfire on human beings, and the landscape that we exist in. The experience transports participants to immersive, serene, and natural landscapes of the west, interrupted by destructive wildfire events that play back fire sounds at the speeds of actual wildfires. The multimedia work combines 24-channels of immersive spatialized audio and 270 degrees of 3D projection mapping to envelop visitors in a multi-sensory experience of the fire front.

24-channel audio by Jon Bellona.
3D video projection mapping by artist John Park.

Housed in the Oregon State University Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) Ray Theater, PRAx commissioned the artwork for the 50’x60′ space. The work was shown from March 31 – April 11, 2026.

Technical details for audio and video: 24-channels of audio were 14 speakers on walls, 4 hung on the ceiling, 4 on the floor, and 2 subwoofers. The 90’ curved scrim (17’ tall) included 6000 x 1150 pixels image across 3 projectors (11000 lumen center. 8500 lumen projectors on sides). BrightSign media players were used for video playback and Max/MSP custom software played 24-channels of audio. Custom synchronization solutions came via custom software.

Featured Intermedia, Featured Splash, Installation

Wildfire

Wildfire is a 48-foot long speaker array that plays back a wave of fire sounds across its 48-foot span at speeds of actual wildfires. The sound art installation strives to have viewers embody the devastating spread of wildfires through an auditory experience.

The work was installed at the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery in Utica, New York. The work ran Sept. 19 – Dec. 8, 2019 as part of a solo art exhibition entitled, “Impact! works by Jon Bellona.” Wildfire was part of SPRING/BREAK Art Show in NYC March 3 – 9, 2020 curated by Megan C. Austin and Ashlie Flood.

Wildfire was made possible through the University of Oregon Center for Environmental Futures and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The Impact! exhibition was supported by funds from the Oregon Arts Commission. Additional support made possible from the Edith Langley Barrett Art Gallery.

Public Final Report for University of Oregon Center for Environmental Futures.

Wildfire sound art installation. 16 speakers along a white wall, playing back sounds of fire at speeds of wildfires — http://janelleshootsphotos.com

Close up of wood speaker panel on wall of the sound artwork, Wildfire — http://janelleshootsphotos.com

Close of custom electronics as part of sound artwork, Wildfire — http://janelleshootsphotos.com

Photo Credit: Janelle Rodriguez

I mixed-down the forty-eight foot, 16-channel work into stereo (2-channel). An embedded Spotify player is below, but the stereo version may be found on Apple, Amazon, YouTube or wherever you stream music.

Featured Intermedia, Installation, Intermedia

Awash

Awash depicts the life, color, and environment of the High Desert. The kinetic sound sculpture emanates audio from the region, while flowing as a singular mechanical wave overhead. Awash, like the High Desert, is shaped by many forces interacting in complex ways; the work is ecological – physical movement interacts with sonic vibrations. Sounds interact with the physical environment. Visual elements intermingle with acoustic elements.

The High Desert Museum commissioned Harmonic Laboratory for the work as part of its Desert Reflections 2019 exhibit. The exhibit went on to win the 2019 Charles Redd Center for Western Studies Award for Exhibition Excellence. Press release for the award.

Jon Bellona, electronics, software, field recording, Skinner church organ recording, sound editing, visual design, engineering
John Park, kinetics, visual design, engineering, schematics
Jeremy Schropp, field recording, visual design, engineering
Kevin Davis, Skinner church organ recording

Composition, Featured Intermedia, Featured Splash, Installation, Music

Precipitation 3

Precipitation 3 is one of a series of musical compositions written for 26 clock chimes as part of the sound art installation, Aqua•litative. With my Precipitation series, I treat the electromechanical structure as musical instrument, navigating through sound with the syntactical construction of code. Compositions played by the sculpture evoke precipitation data of California weather stations by cycling through bits of its data. These cycles create emergent sonic patterns in a continuously evolving play between density and rhythm. Movement flows as collapsing waves, additively striking a cybernetic balance between natural order and mechanic motion.

Aqua•litative is a kinetic installation that renders multiple data sets of California’s water history into a physical experience. The work correlates natural factors contributing to California’s water shortages, outlining the serpentine narrative of water through the translation of data into kinetic movement and acoustic sound.

Featured Intermedia, Installation, Intermedia

#Carbonfeed

The project #CarbonFeed directly challenges the popular notion that virtuality is disconnected from reality. Through sonifying Twitter feeds and correlating individual tweets with a physical data visualization in public spaces, artists Jon Bellona and John Park invite viewers to hear and see the environmental cost of online behavior and its supportive physical infrastructure.

CarbonFeed works by taking in realtime tweets from Twitter users around the world. Based on a customizable set of hashtags, the work listens for specific tweets. The content of these incoming tweets generates a realtime sonic composition. An installation-based visual counterpart of compressed air being pumped through tubes of water further provides a physical manifestation of each tweet.

To see a running counter of the carbon footprint of digital behavior, learn more about this project or even listen to a song based on your personal twitter feed, please visit http://carbonfeed.org

#Carbonfeed installed at the University of Virginia.