Planning permission for Cochlea Unwound · 02:08:13

Planning permission is granted for Cochlea Unwound; a mirrored steel sonic crystal, located on the banks of the river Severn, Worcester

Cochlea Unwound will be a permanent artwork sited on the West bank of the River Severn near Diglis Weir,Worcester. It takes the sound of the weir and filters it using the acoustic phenomenon of a sonic crystal so that visitors to the structure can listen to the noise of the weir filtered into bands of sound that shift perceptibly as they move around and through the structure.

Cochlea Unwound is the permanent realisation of a previous work called Organ of Corti, sited temporarily on the banks of the River Severn in the summer of 2011. The ideas and themes come directly from Organ of Corti an experimental instrument that recycled noise from the environment.

Cochlea Unwound has been supported by Sustrans, Wellcome Trust, Worcester City Council and Arts Council England. Organ of Corti was brought to Worcester in August 2011 with support from the PRS for Music Foundation’s New Music Award 2010, Arts Council England, Sustrans, Worcester Festival, Worcester Music Festival, The Open University, OMK Design, Tandem and the Dartington Trust.

The public art statement can be downloaded here (scroll to bottom of the page)