ABOUT THE TOWER

The tower designed by Ann Hamilton for the Oliver Ranch, Geyserville, CA was the realization of Hamilton’s desire to go beyond the ephemeral nature of much of her oeuvre and create a work of performance of her own design, a solid but living conduit for an ever-changing range of sensory projects and performances. The tower is Hamilton’s first permanent installation anywhere in the world. It took 3-1/2 years to complete, after 14 years of discussion and design.

The tower is a unique, acoustic environment and a new type of entertainment space defined by two staircases built in a double helix form. One entrance and staircase is for the audience and the other is for the performers. Each staircase is composed of 128 steps that provides seating for the audience. Several openings in the wall allow the body to inhabit the thickness of the wall while in repose. As such, the audience staircase could seat as many as 150 individuals, however, 100-125 is the most comfortable. Each performance in the tower is made available by the Oliver Ranch Foundation to benefit non-profit organizations.

> View the upcoming performance schedule

If you would like your non-profit organization to benefit from a donated performance at the Oliver Ranch, or if you are a performing arts organization, or an individual performance artist interested in creating a new site-specific art or performance, complete our online form here.

Awards
AIA San Francisco Design Award Merit Award for Design, 2008
AIA Redwood Empire Design Awards Honor Award for Design, 2008

ann hamilton the tower
Oliver Ranch Foundation

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