Bill Fontana

Bill Fontana (born in Cleveland, Ohio, April 25, 1947) is known internationally for his pioneering experiments in sound art.

Life and career

Fontana attended New School for Social Research in New York and studied both music and philosophy. He traveled to Australia, and also stayed in Japan and Germany composing. Fontana began making sound sculptures in 1976. In a career spanning 30 years, Fontana’s sound sculptures use the urban environment as a living source of musical information, all with the potential to conjure up visual imagery in the mind of the listener. He has made works all over the world and has presented his sound sculptures extensively, including at the Venice Biennale (1999), the Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid (1995), The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (1991), Tate Modern, London (2006), Madison Square Park, New York (2007), and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1987, 1997, 2010). Some of his more famous works include Distant Trains, Satellite Ear Bridge Cologne-San Francisco, Journey Through My Sound Sculptures, The Sound of an Unblown Flute, and Panoramic Echoes.

Fontana is represented by Haunch of Venison, London - New York, [1] and Haines Gallery, San Francisco. [2] He married Australlian choreographer Nanette Hassall.

External links

• Bill Fontana's website
• Work in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art collection
• SFMOMA Bay Area Treasure Award
• San Jose Mercury article
• Madison Square Art
• Bill Fontana's musical sculptures
• Bill Fontana: Spiraling Echoes, 2009
• Bill Fontana biography on Media Art Net