Steve Parker creates large-scale sculptural performances that center public interaction, sound, and the environment. Trained as a musician, he has spent the past 20+ years exploring sound’s capacity to connect, heal, and awaken memory. Parker’s socially engaged practice has reached thousands of participants through installations, performances, and workshops. His work centers on sonic ecosystems that invite intuitive participation. These include mutant brass instruments, wearable ear trumpets, and handheld sonar oscillators—objects made from salvaged materials like plumbing parts, dead plants, and discarded horns. Projects include an outdoor opera for 1.5 million bats using echolocation devices, a sanctuary made of acoustic mirrors and bird feeders playing medieval chants, and sonic healing meditations by NCAA marching bands. Ultimately, Parker sees sculpture as a form of musical composition, and composition as a physical, spatial experience.
Image: Steve Parker, Invisible Music (detail), 2024. Brass, nautical plywood, housepaint, electronics, sound. 100 ft x 40 ft x 15 ft. Image courtesy of the artist.