Visitors to the Roma Street Parkland this Friday can witness a unique ceremony taking place, but only if they are prepared to listen.
Starting at 4pm on January 30 will be the Hatsune-shiki (first sound ceremony) of a purpose-built Japanese water harp, also known as a suikinkutsu.
The harp is the centrepiece for a "sound garden" designed by UQ's Dr Kumi Kato, local architect Will Marcus and Mr Kubo Yoshinobu, a specialist suikinkutsu builder from Japan who has travelled to Brisbane specially for the occasion.
Once complete the garden will be a permanent feature of the parkland, and has been funded by the Queensland Government's art+place program.
The harp consists of a buried earthenware pot, which is tipped upside down and has a hole drilled at the top. When drops of water fall through onto a permanent layer of water at the base it creates a subtle musical effect which differs depending on the weather.
Mr Kubo also assisted Dr Kato with a similar installation in a Tasmanian forest in 2005 – believed to the first of its kind in Australia.
Dr Kato said the Australian harps were unique, as they weren't built as part of a traditional Japanese garden, but instead were created to encourage conservation and the importance of dialogue across cultures.
"The Tasmanian water harp was built to celebrate the natural beauty of the region and the people's dedication to forest conservation," she said.
"The Queensland water harp is designed to address the importance of listening – not only to our changing environment but also to each other."
The sound garden's design also draws on Indigenous knowledge, and will in time incorporate a design of the Rainbow Serpent in honour of the local traditional owners, the Turrbal People.
Dr Kato thanked Roma Street Parkland staff and members of the Brisbane community who have pitched in to make the project possible, with Mizu Japanese restaurant providing a traditional lunch to workers throughout the construction process, and artists Ken Kikkawa and Kat Leehy contributing to the design.
In a related project, Dr Kato is gathering an archive of the "sounds of Queensland" for Q150 celebrations later this year.
Queenslanders can nominate their favourite sound at www.ecco.org.au/150sound/, with 150 to be chosen and then professionally recorded as a unique record of the state's cultural history.
Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Michael Keniger will officially open the sound ceremony at 4pm opposite the Spectacle Garden entrance behind the Amphitheatre at the Roma Street Parkland on Friday, January 30. All are welcome to attend.
A map of the Parkland is available here.
Media: Dr Kato (0432 107 235, k.kato@uq.edu.au), Will Marcus (0403 333 777) or Cameron Pegg at UQ Communications (07 3365 2049, c.pegg@uq.edu.au)
