Mighty Sax

This iconic sculpture was installed in Moore Square in downtown Raleigh for the Arts and Jazz Festival. The large-scale sax was held in place by the high tower with doorways allowing people to pass through the tower.  The wide mouth of the Mighty Sax emitted bubbles over the park as children played musical sounds by pulling cords within the tower.  The design of this public participatory sculpture was inspired by the books by Dr. Seus and his wonderful illustrations of fanciful instruments, mechanical devices, and environments.  The mile-high tower-like buildings with arched windows and capped roofs were also used as a guide for the creation of the tower structure.  The six, bright colored keys of the saxophone could be opened or closed by pulling ropes located inside the tower.  Attached to the keys of a sound generator, these same ropes, when pulled, generated a cacophony of sounds from the bell of the horn.  Able to hold a variety of sound programs, the Mighty Sax played anything from jazz to barnyard sounds, adding interest and excitement to the already immense scale of this large saxophone.