The Wave Organ

Sitting out on a jetty in San Francisco Bay, the Wave Organ is a unique sculpture that blends art, music and nature. The installation was built with 25 organ pipes – made of PVC and concrete – at various elevations, which become activated and make incredible sounds when the ocean waves come crashing in.

The piece was built in 1986 as a collaboration between artist Peter Richards and sculptor and master stonemason George Gonzales.  Inspiration came from the sounds produced by a vent pipe off a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia.

The Wave Organ is located at the end of a jetty that forms the Small Boat Harbor in the Marina district of San Francisco. It’s a short walk from East Crissy Field Beach and Marina Green Park. The jetty itself was built using recycled granite and marble from an old demolished cemetery.

The sculpture creates natural, acoustic music when waves crash against the pipes, and when water moves in and out of them. Usually the sounds are pretty subtle, but you can hear them best when the tide is high.

Of course it looks awesome in photos, but wait ’til you hear the sounds this instrument can make.

Address

99 Yacht Rd
San Francisco, CA 94123

Phone

(415) 528-4444

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