Artist Shome Burua describes 'Standing Wave' installation addressing extreme urban heat in Phoenix

Shome Burua, an artist with the Sombra Initiative, described Standing Wave — a two-part acoustic-ecology installation meant to address extreme urban heat in Phoenix, Arizona — during a meeting public comment period.

Burua said the project has two elements: a sculptural layer designed to resemble sound waves and a set of small devices he calls “eco acoustic primitives” that produce sound in response to sunlight. “This layer, called standing wave is, is built to resemble sound waves,” Burua said. He described the smaller devices as “very simple circuits, analog circuits that respond to sunlight.”

The project is intended to be responsive to environmental conditions, Burua said, drawing a parallel between fluctuating sound and fluctuating solar power and human physiological responses to the sun. “And so this fluctuation in sound and the fluctuation in power that’s going into this is very much like how our body reacts to the sun,” he said.

Burua said the devices produce intentionally synthetic, birdlike sounds so listeners must actively distinguish them from real birds, a choice he said is meant to prompt reflection about human relationships with the environment. “So it sounds like a bunch of little birds, and these are purposefully synthetic. Purposefully synthetic in that when you hear a real bird versus a synthetic bird, your brain is forced to try and acknowledge the differences between the two,” he said.

Burua identified himself as one of nine national artists participating in the Sombra Initiative. He characterized Standing Wave as an experiment in how people might engage urban environments subject to extreme heat through sound and responsive materials.

Burua did not specify funding sources, installation locations in Phoenix, or a project timeline during his remarks. The presentation concluded after the artist summarized the project’s goals and technical approach.