At Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, Devon Turnbull transforms the historic Carnegie Library into a space for deep listening. On view from December 12th, 2025, through July 19th, 2026, HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3 is a large-scale sound installation presented as part of the museum’s broader Art of Noise exhibition, opening fully in February 2026.
Blending design, engineering, and contemporary art, the project invites visitors to slow down and experience music as a physical, emotional presence rather than background sound.
Sound installation as a space for attention
Known under the pseudonym OJAS, Devon Turnbull approaches audio systems as sculptural environments. For this iteration, he developed his most ambitious listening room to date, tailoring the installation specifically to the architectural details of Andrew Carnegie’s former library. The result is a highly integrated sound installation where sound circulates evenly, encouraging stillness and focused listening.
Rather than presenting technology as spectacle, the exhibition reframes high-fidelity audio as a shared, almost ritual experience. Visitors are invited to sit, listen, and remain with the sound—alone or collectively—allowing music to unfold without distraction.
Sound sculpture and handcrafted systems
At the heart of the project are Turnbull’s custom-built speaker forms—monolithic sound sculptures that merge engineering with craft. Responding to the room’s historic millwork, these objects function both as sculptural presences and as finely tuned instruments designed to reproduce sound with natural depth and clarity.
Curated listening sessions
The installation is activated daily through a combination of live-operated sessions and curated playlists selected by Turnbull. On select days, musicians, archivists, audiophiles, and collectors operate the system live, shaping the listening experience in real time. At other moments, rotating playlists—ranging from classical and ambient to jazz—guide visitors through different sonic moods and histories.
Jazz, ambient, and classical as spatial experiences
Each playlist is conceived as a distinct listening scenario. Jazz selections emphasize lifelike reproduction, creating the sensation of musicians performing in the room. Ambient works highlight texture and spatial resonance, while classical recordings foreground dynamic range and acoustic realism. In every case, sound becomes a medium that reveals the room itself.
DEVON TURNBULL
HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3, COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM, 2025
Courtesy of DEVON TURNBULL and LISSON GALLERY; photography by MARK WALDHAUSER
