Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will present the Deep Listening Club on Wednesday, September 23, offering an hour of experimental music and ambient sound during the vernal equinox inside the museum’s Skyspace. The event begins at 6:45 p.m. and concludes at 7:45 p.m., taking place within the open-air, sunken architecture of the artist James Turrell’s installation. The performance features guitarist Sam King and clarinetist Manchusa Loungsangroong, who will create a soundscape of warm drones and playful tones. It is free to the public. The Skyspace at Crystal Bridges operates differently than a standard concert venue. It is a chamber for light and acoustic suspension. The structure is defined by a sunken interior oriented toward the heavens, lined with matte white plaster and tubular steel. During the day, natural light floods the space; at night, artificial light is used. However, on the equinox, the timing of the “twilight” program is synced with the changing position of the sun, creating a moment where daylight briefly dissolves into artificial twilight. Rather than a traditional pitch and hush, the Deep Listening Club invites attendees to engage “deeply” with the sonics. The group, which has roots in experimental music and improvisation, is known for moving beyond genre boundaries. Sam King employs an electric guitar to create sustained, humming layers, while Manchusa Loungsangroong brings a clarinet approach that twists and folds notes into abstract shapes. The music is not there to fill the silence, but to highlight the room’s acoustics. Sound in the Skyspace bounces off the low ceiling and the white walls, a dense, enveloping resonance that changes slightly based on the ambient temperature of the air. It is music meant for shifting focus, for watching a beam of light retreat from the top of the wall, or for simply standing still as the walls speak. Wednesday marks the vernal equinox, the astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. In the region, this often brings a specific kind of crispness to the Bentonville air—cool enough to warrant a light jacket, but carrying the humidity of the approaching Arkansas summer. Being inside the concrete structure while this transition occurs offers a protected, quiet counterpoint to the bustle of the museum rotunda outside. This recurring event has become a thread in the cultural fabric of Northwest Arkansas, offering access to high-level sound art without an admission barrier. It is a testament to the museum’s broader mission of making challenging, experimental work accessible to the community. Attendees should plan to arrive around the 6:45 start time to find a spot on the concrete floor. As the event runs until 7:45 p.m., guests will experience the full trajectory of the sound layering and the gradual shift of light as the evening settles in. This performance sits alongside Crystal Bridges’ other offerings, which range from major historical exhibitions to experimental programming like the Tyson Scholars of American Art residency. For those interested in the broader scope of the museum’s community impact, including its free admission days and educational initiatives, there are ongoing opportunities to engage with the institution beyond the live sound shows. > Learn more about the Skyspace at Crystal Bridges > Visit the NWA Signal for more on Crystal Bridges Arts programs
Source: Reddit Bentonville
