MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST DEVON TURNBULL AND RENOWNED RADIO HOST JOHN SCHAEFER DISCUSS MUSIC AND LISTENING
Join multidisciplinary artist Devon Turnbull and renowned radio host and author John Schaefer for an evening conversation on music, their work crafting listening experiences, and Turnbull’s latest installation at Cooper Hewitt, HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3. The installation features a large scale, handmade, audio system designed to envelop the listener in sound that is as rich in texture as it is in emotion. After a short introductory talk, experience the listening room as Turnbull and Schaefer operate the sound system and play a selection of music inspired by Schaefer’s iconic radio show New Sounds.
HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3 is part of the upcoming Art of Noise exhibition, opening in full February 13, 2026.
SPEAKERS
Devon Turnbull, known under his creative pseudonym OJAS, is a Brooklyn-based artist and audio engineer. Turnbull handcrafts high-fidelity audio systems—monolithic works of functional sculpture that seek to express the natural and emotional essence of music. His work is the result of a lifelong dedication to experimentation, engineering, and explorations in the audio underground. His installations have appeared in cultural institutions such as SFMOMA, Cooper Hewitt, and Lisson Gallery; public spaces including Public Records, Patina Osaka, the Nine Orchard Hotel, and Supreme stores worldwide; as well as the private collections of some of the world’s top musicians and music producers. Through all these projects, Turnbull’s unwavering pursuit of sonic purity remains his defining hallmark.
John Schaefer is an American radio host and author. He has hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986. Since 2002, he has also hosted Soundcheck, an arts and culture program engaging guests and listeners in conversations with people from New York City’s creative arts scene. Schaefer has written extensively about music, including the book New Sounds: A Listener’s Guide to New Music (Harper & Row, NY, 1987; Virgin Books, London, 1990); The Cambridge Companion to Singing: World Music (Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2000); and the TV program Bravo Profile: Bobby McFerrin (Bravo Television, 2003). He was contributing editor for Spin and Ear magazines, and his liner notes appear on more than 100 recordings, ranging from “The Music of Cambodia” to recordings by Yo-Yo Ma and Terry Riley.
AccessibiliTy & What to Expect
- Format: The audience will be seated and the program will begin with a brief welcome. Then, Devon Turnbull and John Schaefer (the speakers) will engage in a short conversation. After the talk, attendees will move to the listening room, for a mostly standing room experience listening to the speakers and their music selections. Due to the limited capacity of the listening room, attendees will be separated into two listening groups of 20 minutes each. Guests will be assigned to their listening group upon arrival.
- About the space: This program will begin in Cooper Hewitt’s Music Room gallery on the first floor of the museum and then move to the Carnegie Library for the listening experience, located a short distance away. It is fully wheelchair accessible. The listening room experience includes T-Coil compatibility. There is an accessible restroom on the ground floor. Read more about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt.
- Accommodations: The program will have live CART captioning. We welcome questions and accommodation requests that support your participation. Email us at CHEducation@si.edu or let us know when you register. Please make your request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least ten days before the program date.
Support
This exhibition is made possible by the August Heckscher Exhibition Fund, the Ehrenkranz Fund, the Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery Endowment Fund, the Fisher Arts Impact Fund, and Jonathan Schroeder and Janet Borgerson. In-kind support provided by Kvadrat Inc. and USM Modular Furniture.
