Multiple Voices was the first public artwork in the United States by Eva Schlegel, the Austria-based artist known for engineering steel and mirrors into spectacular, architectonic sculptures. When Schlegel visited Oklahoma City in 2020 for the opening of Bright Golden Haze (which included one of her photographs), she was struck by both Oklahoma Contemporary’s architecture and the special quality of light in this part of the world. The interplay between the built environment and the natural world sparked a series of conversations about light, place, and perception that led to Multiple Voices.

Working with materials similar to the arts center’s new building, Schlegel created a series of polished and translucent surfaces that caught and reflected light and parts of the surrounding environment. She also wanted to incorporate texts by local writers to tie the work more closely to the cultures of our state. After reading works by dozens of writers, Schlegel selected pieces from three poets connected to Oklahoma: Steve Bellin-Oka, Kimberly Blaeser, and Joy Harjo. The poems appeared in blurred form directly on Multiple Voices’ glass panels, registering each poem as part of the sculpture, but rendered cryptic to the viewer.

Merging Schlegel’s signature visual language with Oklahoma Contemporary’s unique location, Multiple Voices was a meeting of international and local. The large-scale structure’s sleek surfaces reflected its surroundings — people, buildings, landscape — encouraged gathering, play and learning.

Listen to Schlegel Read Poetry