Planned London Design Festival installation "extremely close to my earlier projects" says Yuri Suzuki

Sound artist Yuri Suzuki has told Dezeen he is disappointed that an installation planned for London Design Festival 2025 shares several similarities with his previous work.

Suzuki made the comments after being made aware of the Hornscape Playground installation, which was designed by Taiwan-based artist Wang Chung Kun and is described in a listing on the London Design Festival (LDF) website as "an interactive public art installation that transforms a playground into a musical landscape".

However, Wang defended the project, saying that the installation was "fundamentally different" from Suzuki's work.

Hornscape Playground set to be part of Bankside Design District

Hornscape Playground is set to be shown at the 2025 edition of LDF in the Bankside Design District.

It will combine tubing, horns and benches that create a playground, elements that have been used by Suzuki for pieces including Sonic Playground in 2017, Sonic Seating in 2023 and Otonomori sculpture, which was designed for the 2024 Jing'an International Sculpture Project.

Suzuki said the combination of these aspects meant the project closely resembles his earlier work.

"While I understand that ideas involving sound and public interaction can sometimes share common ground, the similarities here go well beyond general inspiration," he told Dezeen.

"From the use of horn-like acoustic elements to the modular, interactive construction, it's extremely close to my earlier projects in both concept and execution," he added.

Suzuki also expressed disappointment that the work is set to be created as part of LDF, given that he has worked with the festival in the past.

"As a London-based designer and artist who has worked with LDF over many years, I find this particularly disappointing – especially in a professional context like LDF, where originality and respect for others' practice should be fundamental," he said.

"Core mechanism fundamentally different"

However, the designer of Hornscape Playground said that despite the similarities, the core mechanism of his work is different from Suzuki's previous pieces.

"While I acknowledge that visually, both our works use horn and pipe-like structures, the underlying interaction logic, sound production method, and conceptual meaning are fundamentally different," he told Dezeen.

"The interactive mechanism involves swinging seats or air-valve seats that, when pressed, pump air to produce horn sounds of different pitches. This is a purely mechanical, electricity-free sound production system."

This, he said, made "the core mechanism fundamentally different" from Suzuki's work.

Defending the originality of his work, Wang said that his artistic practice has "long centered on mechanical devices that produce sound physically".

"For example, my previous work Swing Flute used a three-legged swing structure whose motion powered 72 recorders of different pitches, as well as air pumps, to play melodies in sequence," he added.

"This mechanical approach to generating sound reflects a distinct conceptual and technical direction from Yuri's work."

Installation "developed independently as an original design"

According to Wang, his latest design was informed by an earlier public art proposal that saw him create horn-shaped designs inspired by the mascots of Taiwanese baseball teams.

"This piece is an extension and variation of that series and was developed independently as an original design," he said.

"The horn elements were inspired by the sound of ship horns and the calls of elephants, rather than by the theme of sound transmission."

When questioned about similarities between this year's installation and Suzuki's work, LDF and Bankside Design District distanced themselves from the piece.

"The Hornscape Playground installation forms part of the independently organised Bankside Design District programme at London Design Festival," LDF said. "It is not a commissioned work by the festival."

"London Design Festival hosts a wide range of independently produced projects across the city each year. While we do not commission or approve the creative content of these partner-led activities, we encourage all participants to uphold the highest professional standards and respect for originality," it added.

"We are aware of the concerns raised and have shared them with the organisers of the installation."

Better Bankside, which organises Bankside Design District, said that it had also not commissioned the work.

"Bankside is hosting the installation as part of London Design Festival but has had no involvement in either commissioning or selecting the piece," it said. "Therefore, Better Bankside is unable to comment."

Both acoustic installations

The Hornscape Playground, which will be made from polished stainless steel and yellow tubing, will have hand-operated mechanisms and swings.

These will activate "internal pneumatic devices that emit horn-like sounds – reminiscent of elephant trumpets – without any need for electricity," according to LDF.

Suzuki is known for his interactive sound installations. His Otonomori sculpture was also acoustic, although it did not generate sound itself.

"Its horn-like structures naturally amplify, enhance and collect sound, creating an immersive listening environment," Suzuki said of the sculpture earlier this year.

"Because of its large scale, the sculpture also creates natural resonance, reverb and delay effects, making sound an integral part of the experience."

His previous work includes Arborythm, a "trumpet-like" art installation in San Francisco, and Sonic Bloom, an interactive installation in London that featured a cluster of colourful horn-shaped speaking tubes.

The main image is courtesy of London Design Festival.

The post Planned London Design Festival installation "extremely close to my earlier projects" says Yuri Suzuki appeared first on Dezeen.