The City, Reimagined in Sound. Harmonic Gate by O+A
- SITE_SPECIFIC
- Feb 12
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 11
One evening, I found myself at Hiltl, a glass of wine in hand, as the city around me began to shimmer in the soft hues of a fading rainbow. The sun had just started to dip behind the rooftops, casting long golden streaks across Europaallee. It was the kind of view that makes you pause, a brief stillness in the rhythm of a busy day.
And then, something unusual happened. Though I was sitting in one of the most bustling corners of Zürich, right between the train tracks and the city’s fast-paced pulse, I realized I could no longer hear the usual urban din. The clang of trams, the rush of footsteps, the murmur of countless voices… all of it faded.
I had unknowingly taken a seat near a sound portal, part of the “Harmonic Gate,” an immersive public art installation by the artist duo Bruce Odland and Sam Auinger, known together as O+A. What I first mistook for a minimal sculpture was in fact one of three soundstones, placed in the area as part of a larger acoustic experience. These sleek, stone-like forms are more than meets the eye: hidden inside, a "tuning tube" and microphones pick up the live soundscape of the city and transform it into harmonized tones. The stones, that also can be used for sitting, are finely tuned loudspeakers transforming the surrounding noise into a hum, a tone, a wave that wraps around you like a gentle cocoon.
Odland and Auinger have spent decades working with the sound of cities. Their work isn’t just about music, it’s about making us hear differently. Instead of pushing noise away, they listen to it, shape it, and hand it back to us in a form that makes us notice our environment more deeply.
“Harmonic Gate” was installed in 2020 as part of Zürich’s commitment to public art and thoughtful urban design. Europaallee, once a nondescript development behind the station, has grown into a vibrant, modern neighborhood. This project punctuates the area with a surprising sense of peace and reflection.
As I sat there, with the view stretching over the tracks toward the Alps and the sounds of the city turned into a kind of urban lullaby, I realized how subtly transformative art can be. The sculpture didn’t ask for attention, didn’t demand interaction, yet it changed everything. It made a public place personal. It made a busy city feel like a sanctuary.
Text by Olena Iegorova
Address:
Europaplatz
8004 Zürich,
Zürich Hauptbahnhof, exit to Europaallee district
Commissioned by:
SBB Immobilien and the Stadt Zürich as part of the public‑art masterplan for Europaallee
Note:
Watch the video produced by the artists
