The Sonic Runway debuted at Burning Man as a corridor of lights synced to sound. Visitors walked through the installation, seeing and hearing musical waves move in harmony. The experience created a memorable, immersive journey.
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The Sonic Runway debuted at Burning Man as a corridor of lights synced to sound. Visitors walked through the installation, seeing and hearing musical waves move in harmony. The experience created a memorable, immersive journey.
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Walking down the Sonic runway, you build a connection with all the other people and revel in this amazing shared experience. Wherever the Sonic Runway is installed, people call it the tunnel of smiles, because everyone’s enjoying themselves so much. When standing at the front of the Runway, observers see musical sound waves rippling away from them. Walking down the corridor, sound and light are always in sync. Looking back from the far end, walkers see the sound waves coming at them, and hear the music as the pattern reaches them.
In 2002, Sonic Runway Lead Artist Rob Jensen was near the DJ booth of Burning Man camp when he
noticed a far-away dancer grooving to the music. She was a fantastic dancer, but she appeared behind
the beat of the music. Rob realized he was experiencing something he knew existed but had never
given much thought to – the speed of sound. The wide-open desert offered a unique opportunity to
bring to life this natural phenomenon that is usually invisible.
Over the course of the following year, Rob and Co-lead, Warren Trezevant, gathered a crew of friends
and fabricated the first iteration of the Sonic Runway, which debuted at Burning Man in 2003. A series
of 16 steel pyramids, each with a single strobe light on top, formed a corridor radiating out from the DJ
booth. Each time there was a ‘thump’ in the music, it sent out a streak of flashing strobe lights traveling
at the speed of sound. Rob and Warren discovered that design and scale ended up creating a natural
corridor, inviting visitors to walk through it and be a part of the experience. The installation was so
successful they decided to bring it back the following year, this time connected to a life-size glowing
Stonehenge representation led by Warren.
Years later, Rob and Warren decided to take the idea to the next level. Over time, electronics
technology had evolved to the point where it was now possible to offer much more than just simple
strobe lights. The second-generation Sonic Runway features thousands of LEDs, making it possible to
visualize the full frequency range of sounds as they race down the corridor.
Afterwards, Rob and Warren worked with the Burning Man organization and the City of San Jose to
install the Sonic Runway on the plaza of City Hall. The installation was a huge success, drawing over a
million visitors over the course of four months. A semi-permanent version is now an iconic draw for
downtown San Jose. The Runway was later displayed in Chengdu, China and in Bahrain. The co-leads
have now partnered with Creos to take the Sonic Runway on tour and are thrilled that even more
people have the opportunity to participate in this unique speed of sound experience.