Public Art Proposal
THE SOUND DOWN SOUTH
for the LoSo neighborhood
in Charlotte, North Carolina
ARTWORK CONCEPT
The cacophony of sound in a city is rarely silent. It’s ever present and ever changing. Is it just noise, or can it be something more?
The cacophony of sound in a city is rarely silent. It’s ever present and ever changing. Is it just noise, or can it be something more?
The Sound Down South is a proposed public artwork inspired by the music that can be found emanating from Charlotte’s commuter train. John Cage, a musician who famously challenged the line between commonplace sound and music once said, “Everything you do is music, and everywhere is the best seat”. Every hour, the sound of the light rail train rings out and this artwork transforms mundane sound into music, and music into a vibrant visual depiction of public art for all to see.
The shape and form of this art piece was adapted from an actual field recording of the Blue Line at Scaleybark Station and processed through an audio spectrum analyzer. In this process, the train’s horn is converted into a series of vertical bars and then colored in a gradient of violet, green, and orange to match colors corresponding to musical notes based on synesthesia theory.
“Everything you do is music, and everywhere is the best seat”
-John Cage
Creative Team
Ashley Nardone
Lead Artist
Dykia Holland
Lead Production Designer
Meredith Campitiello
Project Manager
The Sound Down South has developed and is led by an experienced, all-woman creative team.
Our creative team formed through the 2023–24 C3Lab Public Arts Fellowship program in Charlotte. This collaboration began as part of the fellowship’s mission to foster impactful public art and continues with strong momentum, shared vision, and complementary skill sets.
Ashley Nardone (Lead Artist) is a multidisciplinary installation artist and founder of DUOFAB, a creative studio specializing in large-scale public and commercial art. Ashley conceived the idea for The Sound Down South as her final fellowship project and brings a unique blend of artistic vision, technical design, and fabrication experience to lead the creative direction and sculptural development.
Dykia Holland (Lead Production Designer) is a designer with a passion for creative thinking and technical application based in Charlotte. Through her development in technical knowledge of computer aided design programs, she builds upon her foundation as an artist to create technical works of art and function. Dykia plays a key role in refining the installation’s fabrication plan and production. She will be developing and overseeing the production design details.
Meredith Campitiello (Project Manager) is a seasoned welder, designer and creator/facilitator of public art. With a strong background in supporting large-scale creative initiatives, Meredith ensures smooth communication, scheduling, and coordination between partners, and vendors.
Together, this team is well-equipped to bring The Sound Down South to life through their combined expertise in public art creation, urban placemaking, and project execution. Their shared determination for good design, community engagement, and artistic excellence ensures a thoughtful and high-impact public artwork for Charlotte.
PROJECT PARNERS
We are thrilled to announce that we received a Project Support Grant from the City of Charlotte (@cltgov) through the Creative Growth Grant program. This grant will allow us to begin bringing The Sound Down South to life in our community.
LOCAL BUSINESS PARNERS
ADDITIONAL
SUPPORT
We are activly looking for additional support to aid with the completion of this community project.
If you have interested in joining us on our mission to bring a new vibrant public art piece to the Loso Neighborhood of Charlotte, please reach out with the link below.
