Arts and culture: artistic collaborations
From cave paintings to modern sculptures and three dimensional sound installations using hi-tech tools, bringing an artist’s vision to a physical reality is vital for our creative heart to beat and for our artistic spaces to thrive. Arup collaborates with artists on projects of every scale.
Arup has had the privilege of working with renowned and emerging artists, musicians, sculptors and festivals worldwide. Whether it’s a giant angel by the sea, being inside the head of a rock music god, or experiencing a scarily real audiobook, the artists who shared their seeds of inspiration – and the inventive engineers who helped make their complex ambitions tangible – remind us why art in its many forms has existed in our lives since time began.
Arup’s arts and culture team is full of artists – the talented and curious – and this helps us to work as true partners to some of the art world’s most visionary practitioners, helping to bring novel or innovative artistic experiences to life.
Combining elements of live theatre, immersive media, and musical ensemble, Björk pushes the boundaries of the live concert experience. In her latest show, she sought to capture the intimacy of singing live in a small room, unaided by traditional stage amplification and audio processing.
She commissioned Arup to design an acoustic reverberation chamber as part of the touring set — a unique approach to live stage performance that projects an encapsulated and intimate moment to a large-scale audience. The reverb chamber becomes both sanctuary and instrument, enabling Björk to sing in a naturally enveloping acoustic.
Based on previous experience with our SoundLab, Björk approached us for our ability to model and simulate the immersive experience of singing in the chamber. She challenged the Arup team to evaluate a wide variety of shapes and materials and relied on us to consider every implication of the chamber: acoustics first, but also audience sightlines, weight, portability, and durability in a touring environment.
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Projects
Explore more arts and culture projects
Renovation of cultural heritage: sustainable, efficient, and respectful design
Lakenhal, Netherlands
Lighting design enhances night-time experience at Fed Square
Fed Square Lighting Design, Australia
World-class acoustics for the new concert hall in Munich
Concert Hall Munich, Germany
Designing the world’s first net zero energy mosque
Masdar City Mosque, United Arab Emirates
Arts and culture
Arup has played a defining role in the development and design of some of the world’s favourite cultural buildings. We work as partners to our clients, always approaching projects with insights into how to serve their needs and the needs of their audiences.