New sculpture brings music to Biloxi

Biloxi’s award winning downtown continues to make the Coast a cultural destination for all.

This weekend, Biloxi Main Street celebrated one of the city’s newest art projects.

- - make the coast a cultural - destination for all.

This - weekend, biloxi main street - celebrated one of the city's- newest art projects.- news 25's grace boyles has more- from the ribbon cutting.- - biloxi welcomed its newest piec- of art to the community saturda- at a ribbon cutting - ceremony.

The installation of - the giant blue saxophone is - part of biloxi main street's- - - - mission to engage the public as- well as activate previously - underutilized - space in downtown biloxi.

- corey christy, biloxi main- street president: "well it- started with us just wanting to- color - up the streets of biloxi for a- few reasons.

For one, to give - people some way finding to- help find their way downtown.

- two, to give people access to - art, because, you - know, a lot of people do want t- see and experience art, but - they're not sure they - want to go into a musuem or - gallery.

So, this brings art to- - - - them.

And then also to put our- artists to work."

- christy put out a call to - artists across the region back- in- january to find someone to- - - - create a piece for historic - downtown biloxi.

That's how - christy and main street biloxi- found new orleans artist marcus- brown and his human - universal musical sculpture,- also called "hums."

- marcus brown, artist: "i was- looking for a community that- was, a, it would be - awesome, i was looking for a- community that would be close b- that would- appreciate the piece.

I felt- like-- i kind of felt like new- orleans has a lot of things - going on- and-- not that they're not- positive things-- but i felt- like its time in new orleans, i- needed to be somewhere where it- would be appreciated and loved- more."- "hums" combines both visual art and music through the - sculptures hands-on components.- marcus brown, artist: "to me, i- adds a layer of like soulfulnes- - - - to a project, you know.

Like- it's great to have visual - things, but this is also- something that i can see- somebody- who's blind appreciating."- grace boyles, news 25: "the new- interactive sculpture plays whe- touched in- one four places, including the- mouthpiece and these three- plates.

Human - electricity triggers the sound.- each sound bite you hear is a - - - - recording of brown playing his- saxophone."

- corey christy, biloxi main- street president: "and we will- hopefully be able to change tha- with the seasons.

So, halloween- we can put some spooky music in- - - - there.

Christmas, we can put- some christmas music in there - and have it really be something- - - - people come back to and enjoy - all year."- additionally, the sculpture is- acting as a catalyst for- - - - further economic development in- the downtown- area.

- corey christy, biloxi main- street president: "this lot tha- we're standing on is going to - be fully developed in a few - weeks.

Really built from having- the sculpture here.

The - owners liked it and decided - they're gong to put some money- into it and make this - an actual destination in- itself."- in biloxi, grace boyles, news - 25.

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