Tarek Atoui turns Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall into an immersive soundscape
Lebanese artist Tarek Atoui has transformed Tate Modern's Turbine Hall into an ambitious audiovisual installation combining suspended brass trumpets, glowing drums, and other objects with an interconnected soundscape. The work merges sculpture with abstract music to create a mystical, meditative experience that invites viewers to surrender to its ever-shifting sights and sounds rather than seek fixed meaning.
The installation features water basins and rough-hewn rocks on the ground, with vast brass trumpets and glowing drums suspended from the power station's girders above. A woman's voice sings alongside bass notes, drumbeats, and rolling percussion, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of Sufi dervishes and evoking an ancient city. Atoui's interconnected musical machine draws comparison to Leonardo da Vinci's visionary inventions, blending the urban soundscape of Bankside with mystical, immersive elements.
- Suspended brass instruments and glowing drums create interconnected soundscape in Turbine Hall.
- Installation merges sculpture with abstract music for meditative, mystical experience.
- Atoui invites surrender to the work rather than seeking fixed meaning.
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Tarek Atoui is a Lebanese artist whose work blends sculpture with sound and music. He has created a large-scale installation at Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in London, a prestigious venue where the museum commissions major contemporary artists to create ambitious works.
The installation is an immersive experience combining visual and musical elements. Visitors encounter suspended brass trumpets and glowing drums, along with rocks and water basins, all forming part of an interconnected soundscape featuring singing, percussion, and other instruments. The work is designed as a meditative space where people experience the shifting sights and sounds rather than seek specific meaning.
Tate Modern's Turbine Hall has become a significant venue for large-scale art installations by major contemporary artists. Atoui's approach of combining sculpture with abstract music reflects a broader contemporary trend in which artists work across different media to create multisensory experiences.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Tarek Atoui’s Turbine Hall review – hallelujah, it’s raining musical instruments!”.