Hans Rosenström’s Immersive Sound Installation on Roosevelt Island

Summary

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Episode Overview

Podcast: All Of It with Alison Stewart
Episode Title: Hans Rosenström’s Immersive Sound Installation on Roosevelt Island
Date: May 13, 2026

In this episode, host Alison Stewart is joined by Finnish artist Hans Rosenström and curator Alina Gurskovich to discuss "Out of Silence," an immersive, site-specific sound installation at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island. The conversation explores how the installation uses hidden speakers, musical improvisation, and the unique physical and acoustic qualities of the park to create a transcendent experience inspired by Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and architect Louis Kahn. The episode dives into themes of silence, movement, site-specific art, and the intersection of architecture and sound.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Genesis and Inspiration of “Out of Silence”

• Designing in Context:
  • Hans Rosenström discusses his draw to public, shared spaces, emphasizing how the park's partial detachment from the city while still being within earshot of its sounds shaped his approach.
    • “It’s detached from the city, but you can still hear sound from the city. And I like to work in public spaces mainly because they are shared spaces.” (Hans, 01:40)
• Curatorial Roots:
  • Alina Gurskovich shares that her inspiration came from visiting the Arvo Pärt Centre in Estonia, which led her to seek an equivalent experience for New Yorkers—a connection between music, architecture, and environment.
    • “When I got back, I started having a conversation...about creating a similar experience for people in New York, combining the inspiration of Arvo Pärt and the space, the Louis Kahn design space for Four Freedoms Park.” (Alina, 02:10)

The Role of Movement and Presence

• Interactive Experience:
  • Movement is integral to “Out of Silence.” The installation is designed so that what you hear changes as you wander, suggesting a personalized encounter that emphasizes your physical presence.
    • “I try to create these environments where you actually play with your own body and your relationship to your surroundings. Movement engages you...and awakens curiosity.” (Hans, 03:41)

Connecting Silence, Space, and the Human Voice

• Parallel Philosophies:
  • Alina draws links between Arvo Pärt’s and Louis Kahn’s philosophies, noting a shared reverence for silence as a space of possibility.
    • “Both talk about silence as this field of potentiality...Louis Kahn, for him, architecture was a portal into what he called the unmeasurable, which he also referred to as silence.” (Alina, 04:21)
• Centering the Human:
  • The installation emphasizes the centrality of the human voice, resonating with both the composer’s and the architect’s intentions.

Creating the Soundscape: Collaboration and Improvisation

• Not a Composer, but an Architect of Sound:
  • Hans worked with Estonian choir Vox Clamantis, led by Jaan-Eik Tulve, improvising using scripts and a spatial dramaturgy influenced by Arvo Pärt’s compositional style.
    • “The soundscape...is inspired by the compositions of Pärt, but it’s not like copying. It’s something different.” (Hans, 05:55)
• Tintinnabuli Technique:
  • The choir applied Pärt’s “Tintinnabuli” (a minimalist compositional method) as a framework for their improvisations, deepening the Estonian connection and authenticity.
    • “The choir of Vox Clamantis...applied the system of Tintinnabuli. And that was kind of the basis and was also a way to be inspired by the work of Arvo Pärt.” (Alina, 07:38)

The “Baltic Connection”

• Uncovering Cultural Roots:
  • There’s a poignant realization that both Pärt and architect Louis Kahn are Estonian, and Rosenström is Finnish—with Latvia also represented by Alina.
    • “There is that [Estonian] connection. And then also, of course, Hans Rosenström is a Finnish artist, and Finland is right across the sea from Estonia. And actually, I’m originally from Latvia, so there’s a Baltic connection all around.” (Alina, 08:31)

The Design and Experience of the Installation

• Interaction with Nature:
  • Hans drew inspiration from wintertime tree shadows, envisioning them as connecting voices and musical notes, further intertwining the sonic and physical environment.
    • “The shadows of the branches kind of create these connections...imagining these different trees as bodies...the shadows as repetitive patterns, like musical notes and tones.” (Hans, 09:35)
• Island Within an Island:
  • Alina describes the park—and the installation—as both an escape and a part of the city, offering respite while remaining connected.
    • “You are both within the city and outside of it...to create an island within an island where you can be with yourself and with others.” (Alina, 10:21)

Audience Reactions and Emotional Impact

• Transformative Encounters:
  • Alina notes the emotional responses from visitors—some moved to tears—validating the two years of dedicated work behind the piece.
    • “People came up to us thanking us for this experience, which was incredibly beautiful...with happy tears in their eyes. That’s the best we could have hoped for.” (Alina, 11:54)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s detached from the city, but you can still hear sound from the city...I like to work in public spaces because they are shared spaces.”
  —Hans Rosenström (01:40)

• “Silence as this field of potentiality...space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves.”
  —Alina Gurskovich (04:21)

• “It’s inspired by the compositions of Pärt, but it’s not like copying. It’s something different.”
  —Hans Rosenström (05:55)

• “The choir of Vox Clamantis...applied the system of Tintinnabuli. And that was kind of the basis and was also a way to be inspired by the work of Arvo Pärt.”
  —Alina Gurskovich (07:38)

• “You are both within the city and outside of it...it’s meant to not completely separate you from your surroundings, but to create an island within an island.”
  —Alina Gurskovich (10:21)

• “People came up to us thanking us for this experience, which was incredibly beautiful...with happy tears in their eyes.”
  —Alina Gurskovich (11:54)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:31 – Introductions and first impressions of Four Freedoms Park
• 02:10 – Alina’s inspiration from Estonia and the Arvo Pärt Centre
• 03:41 – The importance of movement and personal experience in sound installations
• 04:21 – The connection between Pärt and Kahn: silence and the human voice
• 05:55 – Working with Vox Clamantis; improvisation and the “Tintinnabuli” connection
• 07:38 – Deepening the musical and conceptual framework
• 08:31 – Discovery of the “Baltic connection”
• 09:35 – How visual elements (tree shadows) influenced the soundscape
• 10:21 – The installation as both an urban escape and a city experience
• 11:54 – Visitor reactions and the emotional impact of “Out of Silence”

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Conclusion

This episode offers an evocative exploration of how art, architecture, and music can merge with place to craft intimate, transformative experiences. “Out of Silence” is revealed as a deeply collaborative work that embodies silence, movement, and presence—inviting all visitors to find their own meaning and moment of respite amid New York City’s restless energy.

The installation “Out of Silence” by Hans Rosenström is on view at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island through June 21st, 2026.

Transcript

[A]

All of it is supported by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the Name youe Price Tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match Limited by state law not available in all states. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. At the southern tip of Roosevelt island, right in the middle of the East River, Franklin D. Roosevelt 4 Freedom State park feels a bit removed from the rest of the city since 2011. The park has long rows of linden trees, giant granite walls with geometric patterns, and sweeping east river views that create kind of an oasis. Now imagine that scene with a site specific sound installation that threads voices through the park using hidden speakers tucked among the trees. It was created by Finnish artist Hans Rosenstrom and it's called out of Silen. It's inspired by the music of Estonian composer Arvo Part and by the architect of the park, Louis Kahn. The piece changes as you move through the space. At some moments you're swept into the wind and city noise. At others, the music surrounds you completely. It's on view now through June 21st. Hans Rosenstheim draws me now in the studio. It's nice to meet you. Nice to meet you too, as well as Alina Gurskovich, the curator of the exhibit. Hi Alina.

[B]

Hello. Thank you for having us.

[A]

Hans, your work is often site specific, so you take a lot of inspiration from the location locations you're working in. What were your first impressions of Four Freedoms Park?

[C]

It's absolutely gorgeous, of course, but it's also, as you shortly mentioned, that it's detached from the city. So there's this distance to the city, but you can still hear sound from the city. And I like to work in public spaces mainly because they are shared spaces. So that often kind of plays like gives a lot to my work and things that I want to play with.

[A]

Alina, you said you were the one to first conceive of this piece. What was your initial seed of inspiration?

[B]

Yes, thank you. It was the trip that I took to go to Estonia about 2 1/2 years ago, and when I was there it was a curatorial trip. I had this incredible opportunity to visit the Avopert center, which is about an hour away from Tallinn, and it's nestled in the forest and in order to get to the actual building you have to walk through this pathway and you're surrounded by trees and it's intentional by design and it Sort of slows you down and creates this incredible feeling of peace inside that then primes you to the experience of Artobert and the music and the building. And so I was so mesmerized by this experience that when I got back, I started having conversation with Yannicka Perna, who was representing Estonian culture in New York. And she said, you know, why don't you put together a proposal for something that would create a similar experience for people in New York, combining, you know, the inspiration of and the space, the Louis Kahn design space for Freedman's Park. And as I was thinking through what it could be, I remembered that I really loved the work of Hans Rosenstrom and had a chance to do a studio visit with him when he was in New York at iscp. And that's kind of how it all came together. But the inspiration was this feeling that I had through the trip in Estonia.

[A]

Hans, one of the notable pieces about this piece is that it depends on where you're standing, what you experience. Why is movement such an important part of this piece?

[C]

I think it you become like, for me, the piece has a lot to do with you and your own presence in the space. So I try to create these sort of environments where you actually let play with your own body and your relationship to your surrounding. And therefore, I think movement engages you. And it's also more kind of awakens curiosity because you hear a little bit something that happens somewhere else where you're not standing, and maybe someone else hears something that you're not hearing, and it creates this sort of dynamics that I enjoy.

[A]

You said that you started noticing parallels between the way composer AVO Part.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Talks about music and the way that Louis Kahn talks about architecture. What were the similarities that clicked for you?

[B]

Yes, absolutely. So both actually, very uncannily, both talk about silence. Silence as this field of potentiality actually said that the space between the notes is just as important as the notes themselves. And Louis Kahn, for him, architecture was a way, a portal into what he called the unmeasurable, which he also referred to as silence. So it's this space where you can have a transcendent experience, and when you can enter a space where you can sort of hear the internal voice and connect with what is inside of you. So that was one of the elements that was really similar between the work of Artobert and Louis Kahn. Also, the idea of the human voice and the humanness, and making the human kind of at the center of the experience was also important for both Adva Pat and Louis Kahn. And I would then bring this to Hans because he works so much with voices. And also, this work that we created, out of Silence, speaks to the power of the human voice. So that's kind of the overlap between all three as well.

[A]

Our guests are curator Alina Gershowicz, an artist. Sorry about that. Hans Rosenstrom, who's worked together to create out of Silence, a new immersive sound installation at Franklin D. Roosevelt, Four Freedoms park on Roosevelt Island. It'll be up until June 21st. Now, Hans, you're not a composer?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

No, not at all. No.

[A]

So what did you think that you could bring to this process? Because you came from the outside world of composition.

[C]

Exactly. And that is, of course, it was a huge ask, or it felt like a big mountain to climb. But I felt that if we could work with people who know Arvo and who's worked with him for a long, long time. So we've proposed this to a choir in Estonia called Voxclamantis, who is directed by Jan Ektolwe and who has personally worked with Arvo over 20 years. And I basically wrote scripts and had this sort of spatial dramaturgy in mind. And I approached them and we together improvised. So it's not. The soundscape that we created is not based on his compositions, but it's a lot of like. It's inspired, like the way it's built. The singers kind of creates this inspired by the compositions of Part. But it's not like copying. It's something different.

[A]

We actually have a little example of it. We can talk about it on the other side. Let's listen.

[B]

To flame. Sh.

[A]

You were going to add something, Elena?

[B]

Yes, I was just going to say that it was indeed an improvisation. Right. And why it was important for us to work with Vox Climantis is, as Hans mentioned, they worked with AVO Part for many decades, and Advoir Part became really famous in the 70s after a period of silence. He spent eight years not composing. He sort of stepped away from composing, and then he came up with this innovative system called Itintinabouli, which is a very simple compositional structure. So the choir of Vox Clamantis, when we approached them to create this improvisational work, applied the system of Tintinoboli. And that was kind of the basis and was also a way to be inspired by the work of Artobert.

[A]

All right, I understand there's an Estonian connection that was discovered later.

[B]

Will you explain this to me? Yes, absolutely. So Arvobert is Estonian. He was born in Estonia and came back to Estonia. Now he's based in Estonia. And so it's actually Louis Kahn. Louis Kahn, who is known as an American architect, but he's actually an American Estonian architect. His family immigrated from Estonia a long time ago, so there is that. And then also, of course, Hans Rosenstrop is a Finnish artist, and Finland is right across the sea from Estonia. And actually, I'm originally from Latvia, so there's a Baltic connection all around.

[A]

I've been talking to our guests, Alina Gurkiewicz and artist Hans Rosenstrom, who work together to create out of Silence, a new immersive sound installation at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. It's on view until June, or viewer sound till June 21st. Hans, you've described that you've noticed while the piece was developing, the tree shadows, they sort of create geometry. And I'm curious about the physical details. How did you take those into consideration? Or didn't you? It was just. Or was it just happenstance?

[C]

I would say that everything played a role, especially in the beginning, while planning it. But I was very fond of the tree shadows because I was there in the winter without the leaves, and the shadows of the branches kind of create these sort of connections. And I started to imagine how voices also connect bodies with each other. And so kind of imagining these different trees as bodies and these branches that are kind of touching each other or the shadows of the branches. So. And then I started to see them as also as some sort of, like, repetitive patterns because they're a little bit also like musical notes and tones. So it was inspiring. But I don't have a very clear answer to you.

[A]

That's fine. Alina, do you think of this exhibit as an escape from the city, or do you think of the city being a part of it?

[B]

Oh, my gosh, both. Absolutely both. I think, first and foremost, of course, getting back to the original idea of silence and coming out of silence. But we wanted to create the space that would allow a moment of respite and rest for everyone in New York, for everyone who visits the park. As Hans was mentioning in the beginning, the space itself is already kind of. It's an island that exists in between Manhattan and Queens, and you can see both, and you can sort of hear the sounds of the city, but they're sort of in the distance. So you are both within the city and outside of it. So it's certainly something that is meant to not completely separate you from your surroundings, but to create a little an island within an island where you can be with yourself and also with Others.

[A]

Hans, what have you observed about people when they are in this installation?

[C]

I tend not to observe people too much. I tend to leave them to be by themselves. But of course I've peaked a little bit. And it is nice to see when it catches the attention of people and people actually stop and they start to follow it. So of course I try to do something that becomes a meaningful encounter for the people who visit the park. So of course I am curious. But I also don't want to be too nosy.

[A]

Well, I'm nosy. I'm a New Yorker. What have you noticed about how people engage with the installation?

[B]

Yes, I will say that Hans, many great artists is very humble. So this is where I have a chance to really talk about the experience. It was really touching when the opening happened on 28 April, and then throughout the kind of the following weeks and how people interact with it and how people were emotional. People came up to us thanking us for this experience, which was incredibly beautiful. That's interesting. And really even with happy tears in their eyes. So it's been extremely special because that's the best that we could have hoped for. And that's one of the reasons why we worked on this for two years. So hard it was to create this experience and to see people finally enjoy it is incredible.

[A]

The name of the installation is out of Silence. It's at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms park on Roosevelt island until June 21st. Thank you so much for joining us.

[B]

Thank you.

[C]

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