The following page is dedicated to available information found on the following artist by students of the Environmental Art class at Ball State. The information is as accurate as can be given available resources. Any additions should be sent to the address below.


Douglas Hollis



Douglas Hollis... A Different Perspective


Although complete biographical information in regards to the life of Douglas Hollis is not available, many visuals of his works are. Most of his works concentrate upon the manipulation of natural forces... he attempts to "hear the landscape" (Beardsley, Art, 63). Doug Hollis focuses upon the concept of "learning to listen" and his philosophy states the "need to shift our attitude from one of imposition and dominance to one of regard, interdependence, and conversation" (Oakes, 107). His works were inspired through his experience of building and flying kites in the seventies and, in essence, were the major element found within his first work, Sky Soundings (Oakes, 107). His two year residency at the Exploratorium in San Francisco aided in his exploration of the nature of sound. It was here that he realized that his observations concentrated upon "the quality of public places, on encouraging people to experience and understand natural phenomena, and on helping people recognize themselves and others as an integral part of those phenomena" (Oakes, 106). In many ways, since his works promote interaction, the art which Hollis creates can be considered performance art. Hollis Stresses the "physical and interactive connections between people and their environments" and most of his success is based upon this theory (Oakes, 107).

In conclusion, Doug Hollis strives to capture the "language of location" and celebrates the movements of water, wind, and landscape in a medium of sound (Oakes, 108).

    Selected References...

  • Beardsley, John. Art in Public Places. 1981, pg. 61-63.
  • Beardsley, John. Earthworks and Beyond. 1984, pg. 106.
  • Oakes, Baile. Sculpting with the Environment. 1995, pg. 106-111, 245.

    List of Works...

  • 1975 -- Sky Soundings... An Acoustic Kite Performance -- San Francisco, CA
  • 1980 -- Field of Vision... Winter Olympics -- Lake Placid, NY
  • 1983 -- A Sound Garden... NOAA -- Seattle, WA
  • 1987 -- Listening Vessels... University Art Museum -- U of C, Berkeley
  • 1992 -- Carnegie/Armory Park... Evaporative Cooling System -- Tuscon, AZ

    Others not discussed...

  • Wind Organ... Berkeley, CA
  • Tidal Park... Port Townsend, WA
  • Singing Beachairs... Santa Monica, CA
  • Rain Column... San Francisco, CA

This information was compiled by Michelle Fraze (2-14-97).


Other Links...

Vortex by Doug Hollis at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.


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