New York, NY (May 13, 2019)—After years under construction as part of New York City’s $20 billion Hudson Yards project, The Shed, a new flexible cultural center built for $475 million, opened in April and is now conducting its inaugural season. Among the first productions to be held there was Björk’s Cornucopia on May 9, complete with immersive sound design provided by a d&b Soundscape system.
One of the building’s most striking features is the expandable, 16,000-square-foot, 8,000,000-pound retractable shell that surrounds the edifice—in 15 minutes, it can be rolled off the building to expand The Shed into an adjacent public space. The resulting additional 17,000-square-foot performance space, able to accommodate more than 2,000 people, is called the McCourt.
For Bjork’s performance inside the McCourt, a full 360-degree d&b Soundscape system powered by the d&b En-Scene object based mixing and En-Space room emulation software was employed for the sound design. First conceived in a studio in Iceland, the production underwent production rehearsals in the Backstage Centre, London, before heading to New York City. Cornucopia’s sound was designed by Björk and FOH engineer John Gale, and supported by Southby Productions, and Steve Jones from d&b.
“Björk wanted the sound for Cornucopia to create an otherworldly sensory experience that draws the visual, aural and virtual elements together and utilizing Soundscape, from the studio composition scenario all the way through to the show performance scenario has delivered of that vision,” said Jones.
The Shed • www.theshed.org
d&b audiotechnik • www.dbaudio.com
Southby Productions • www.southby-productions.co.uk
