Laughing Escalator

Denver Public Art 1%


2004.4.1
Visitors descending an escalator into the ballroom pre-function area encounter an unexpected serenade of laughter mysteriously rising from beneath their feet. Recorded laughs come up through the small cracks between steps, with a different voice heard every eight feet of the ride. Inside the escalator, a 4-channel sound system broadcasts a call and response volley of laughter between the speakers. The resulting open-air mix of sound creates a continually changing pattern of rhythms constructed from laughter. 

John McEnroe (semi-finalist)
John Grant (public art project manager)
Elisabeth Hamilton (city project manager)
Raymond Jones (commissioner)
Taffy Lee (arts professional)
Bill Hayes (arts professional)
Daniel Salazar (panel artist)
Stephen Van Ness (community representative)
Richard Scharf (community representative)
Elbra Wedgeworth (community representative)
Lawerence Argent (semi-finalist)
William Matthews (semi-finalist)
Jan Vriesen and Kirk Johnson (semi-finalist)
Jonathan Bonner (semi-finalist)
Trine Bumiller (semi-finalist)
Bernar Venet (semi-finalist)
John Hickenlooper (mayor)
Jim Green (was created by)
BCER Engineering, Inc. (engineer)