Chicago, IL (December 2006) – Chicago based artist Juan Angel Chavez will create a multi-directional, multi-layer sound experience available for performances at the Hyde Park Art Center from April 29 to July 8. Comprised out of found material we see everyday, such as old billboard signs, wood panel siding and traffic cones, the large-scale speaker sculpture will turn the gallery into a laboratory for sound. Audience members are invited to hear how this innovative sculpture can change the sound and sight of music.

In collaboration with the Empty Bottle (Chicago), the artist and the Art Center will put together an exciting schedule of diverse music genres performed from inside and outside of the speaker sculpture. The interactive sculpture will be large enough to ensconce a 3-piece band inside and host over 200 audience members around the structure. During moments when no performance is scheduled, visitors are allowed to enter the sculpture and investigate sounds of their own. Special performances by touring bands organized by the Empty Bottle are to be determined and will take place during the run of the exhibition.

The Hyde Park Art Center is a not-for-profit Contemporary Art organization that presents challenging exhibition, primarily work by Chicago-area artists, and educational programs in the visual arts for children and adults of diverse backgrounds. The Art Center is located at 5020 South Cornell Avenue, Chicago, IL. Admission to all of the Art Center’s exhibitions is free, making this an ideal opportunity for performers who want to reach a wide and varried public. Speaker Project will be one of the feature projects during the 24 hour public party,Creative Move Too at the Hyde Park Art Center on Saturday, April 29th, from 6- 9 pm.

Specifications of the Performance Space:
The speaker project is a box that measures 25 ft in length, 20 ft in width and 10 ft in height and provides a performance space of approximately 500 sq ft with in the speaker space.
Within the space there are four surfaces design to modify sound. On the north and south, there are two hand crafted speaker cones that measure 8 ft in diameter to an 18 inch end. On the east and west walls, there is a wall of traffic cones, which faces a wall designed to transfer sound through traffic cones and pipes.