Vessel Orchestra, by Oliver Beer, was exhibited at the Met Breuer in the summer of 2019.

”Vessel Orchestra is the first sound-based installation commissioned by The Met. Hybrid by design, it is a musical instrument, a series of live performances, and an installation composed of thirty-two sculptures, utilitarian vessels, and decorative objects from the Museum collection. Selected for their natural pitches, which range from low C to high G on the chromatic musical scale, they form an arresting and unexpectedly versatile instrument, similar to an organ with multiple pipes.

The Vessel Orchestra has two distinct modes. During Museum hours, a pre-programmed audio interface will play a new composition written by Beer, activating the vessels in real time—"player piano-style." On Friday evenings, the exhibition will feature a diverse group of guest artists who will perform new compositions and improvisations on this radical musical instrument in a series of intimate concerts. All performances on Friday evenings.” - The Met Breuer

Work by Oliver Beer
Oliver Beer Studio, Cleo Roberts
System Design: Dave Meckin
Technical Design Lead: Daniel Perlin, Make Good
Design + Production: Max Lauter
Design + Fabrication: Michael Hernandez-Stern
Software: Tommy Martinez
The Met team: Lauren Rosati, Katy Uravitch, Patrick Paine, Brian Butterfield, Xiaoxi Chen, Limor Tomer, Kwabena Slaughter

Photo Credit Successió Miró/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris; Mark Sommerfeld for The New York Times