Solstice event designed to feature the Planetary Peace Chimes of J. Patrick Doyle. A three month installation on the grounds of the Tampa Museum of Art. J.Patrick Doyle created and produced The Planet of the Arts, a complex and overwhelming public art installation which dominated the entire grounds of the Tampa Museum of Art for three months, timed to the 1996 Summer solstice. The aural focus of the array was “The Trillithon”, an array of huge tubular chimes manned by a volunteer cadre of musicians who were tasked with striking the carefully-tuned cylinders, creating a mystical throb of overtones that reverberated throughout the nearby buildings of downtown Tampa.
As counterpoint to the Trillithon, three massive gongs, representing “The Moon,” “The Star,” and “The Cosmos,” were strategically placed on the periphery of the grounds and were struck to provide deeper underpinnings to the atmosphere of elemental vibration. Each of the celestial gongs was topped by a steel sculpture of its namesake.
Carefully positioned and interspersed through the installation were articulated and controllable mirrors, high above the ground, manipulated by trained volunteers to channel the light from two carbon-arc spotlights. As the mirrors were pivoted, streams of intense light passed from one to another and finally came to rest on each of the celestial sculptures in turn. Even the slightest serendipitous haze or fog in the atmosphere served to delineate the shifting streams of meticulously choreographed light.
Patrick Doyle conducted the entire operation like a symphonic Maestro, blending sound and light and imagery into a cohesive piece of performance installation.