The Conservatory, at the Contemplative Commons, is a state-of-the-art immersive sound and light gallery, and lab serving vital functions for the University of Virginia community and beyond.
This unique space operates simultaneously as 1) a public gallery featuring rotating exhibitions of immersive sound and light artworks with regular public hours; 2) a research and creative laboratory supporting emerging work in immersive audio, sonic and photonic perception, psychoacoustics, aesthetics, contemplative sciences, ecoacoustics, neurosciences, etc. and 3) a highly specialized educational support facility for advanced work with immersive sound and colored light.
The Conservatory supports the Contemplative Sciences Center’s (CSC) mission to advance contemplation, connection, and flourishing. A Conservatory is a site for specialized study of sound and a place for conservation. Like music conservatories and sunlit glass rooms for conserving plants, our Conservatory is a place for environmental conservation through sound and light. The room was part of the CSC’s original design vision as a place to exhibit and develop collaborative work between sound art, environmental ethics, and the sciences.
The first exhibit, Reef Resounding, launched for the building opening and featured environmental recordings and data sonification from oyster reef restoration on the Virginia Eastern Shore.
The Conservatory features pioneering technical infrastructure including a 20.1 Meyer Sound system with networked Galileo Galaxy processors running SpaceMap Go, and an ETC Eos lighting control system with computer-controlled architectural and theatrical lighting capabilities.
For questions about the Conservatory, please contact Curatorial Director, Matthew Burtner (mburtner@virginia.edu).
Conservatory Exhibits
