Logan Squared: Ode to Philly

As a monument to Philadelphians’ voices and visions, Emeka Ogboh’s Logan Squared: Ode to Philly featured a collaboration with beloved Philadelphia poet Ursula Rucker, members of the Chestnut Street Singers, and hundreds of Philadelphians whose ideas were documented during Monument Lab’s discovery phase. Throughout his work, Ogboh creates soundscapes to honor and understand cities. For Monument Lab, Ogboh conceived of a collaboration to channel public participation and reflection.

Responding to the Monument Lab open dataset, Rucker composed an epic poem serving as the backbone of this composition. Visitors accessed the sound monument at listening stations around the square where they could plug in their headphones, or attended a special weekly iteration on the Skyline Terrace of the Parkway Central Library. In the rooftop version, attendees were invited to experience a multichannel sound installation, including the sounds of Rucker’s poem and a special choral arrangement of Louis Gesensway’s Four Squares of Philadelphia: “Logan Square at Dusk,” as well a singular view of the city from above.

Hear Logan Squared: Ode to Philly Streaming Audio (via SoundCloud)

Collaborators: Justin Geller (Music Director & Producer), Nathan Lofton (Choral Arranger & Conductor), Drew Schlegel (Recording Engineer), Dave Schonauer (Assistant Recording Engineer), Morningstar Studios (Recording Venue), John Greig (Speaker Stand Design & Fabrication), Ric Allison and Anders Uhl (Listening Station Designers & Fabrication), Sharon Curley (Project Technician)

Speakers Provided by Eminence

Chorus: Kendra Balmer, Sonja Bontrager, Cory Davis, Michael Hogue, Michael Johnson, Elissa Kranzler, Hank Miller, Victoria Nance, Jordan Rock, Daniel Schwartz, Caroline Winschel, and Michele Zuckman

Special Thanks: Joe Benford, Gary Galván, Corinne Militello, and Janine Pollock.

Logan Squared: Ode to Philly © 2017 Emeka Ogboh. All rights reserved.

All poetry © 2017 Ursula Rucker. All rights reserved.

Logan Square at Dusk from Four Squares of Philadelphia by Louis Gesensway © 1972 by Theodore Presser Company. All rights administered by Carl Fischer, LLC. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Choral arrangement of Four Squares of Philadelphia: “Logan Square at Dusk” prepared with original score of Four Squares of Philadelphia provided courtesy of the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Major support for Monument Lab projects staged in Philadelphia’s five squares provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. An expanded artist roster and projects at additional neighborhood sites made possible by the William Penn Foundation. Lead corporate support provided by Bank of America. Generous additional support provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Location Note: Work is no longer on view at this location.