Open now until 19 October 2025
Location: New York, US
Experience Sector: Immersive Art
Against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, Ohio-born artist Jennie C. Jones has created sculptural installation Ensemble for the Met Museum’s 2025 Roof Garden Commission, which explores the sonic potential of stringed instruments. The installation is formed of three giant scarlet and maroon works: a tall Aeolian harp activated by the wind; a trapezoidal zither modelled on a low frequency-absorbing bass trap; and a doubled, leaning one-string. Across each work is a set of strings fastened by piano pegs. While the hum of the harp can be heard, the other two are capable of producing sound, but it’s the tension between their dormancy and activation that Jones wants to highlight.
Interactive in nature, how visitors experience the works depends on the time of day and the weather. “What I hope for this work is that it ignites the sonic imagination. The pieces are not always singing, they’re not performing, they’re not always activated,” Jones told Time Out. In researching the sculptures, which are made from powder-coated aluminium and concrete travertine, Jones took inspiration from the instruments behind glass in the Met’s collection and filmed a performance on the rooftop of bassist Luke Stewart and cellist Tamika Reed making sweet music from her sculptures. On display until October, Ensemble is the last Met roof garden commission until 2030.
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