First, sorry for the lack of update in the past little while. I've been pretty busy lately, so I haven't been able to get around to this.
Moving on...
Shopping and music tends to... have a weird relationship, at least in my mind. There's statistical evidence that if you play soft, adult-contemporary music while shopping, sales go up. Which is why when you go to shopping malls, muzak is playing on repeat (speaking of muzak, THE muzak company filed for bankruptcy in February. Seems like even their omni-present musical output has been hit by the economic crisis. But what if the music that is playing is not a pre-recorded song.. and the instrument is actually the mall itself?
Macy's in Center City Philadelphia is a National Historical Landmark because the building itself is an architectural masterpiece. It boasts Italian and Greek marble arches in it's Grand Court etc, which make it an amazing building to look at... but by far the most interesting thing in it is the "Great Pipe Organ". Built in 1904, it's a massive organ that is one of the world's largest. I like the idea of a shopping mall being something more of a focal community area where you can enjoy just sitting there and listening to music. It's amazing how having great music can change the perception of a space...
No comments:
Post a Comment