Mount Wilson Observatory presents “Within Sound 2: The Acoustic Sculptures of Michael Brewster,” a limited engagement installation in its “Arts @ The Observatory” series, celebrating the pioneering work of the late Los Angeles sound artist. Featuring six of Michael Brewster’s most iconic acoustic sculptures, the retrospective traces the evolution of his groundbreaking work across four decades.
Presented inside the magnificent dome of Mount Wilson Observatory’s historic 100-inch telescope, performances will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 29 and 30, 2026, at 3:00pm and 5:00pm, with a reception between performances at 4:00pm. Tickets are $45 and limited to 60 attendees per performance. For more information and tickets, please visit: www.mtwilson.edu/events/withinsound2
Each performance begins with personal reflections by Peter Shelton—artist, former student, and longtime friend of Brewster—who will introduce audiences to Brewster’s life, work, and enduring artistic vision. Each acoustic sculpture will then be briefly introduced by sound artist and archival technician Alex Schetter, Archival Technician for the Michael Brewster Trust, who remastered, engineered, and programmed the works specifically for presentation within the 100-inch telescope dome.
A pioneer of sound and space, Michael Brewster coined the term “acoustic sculpture” in 1970 to describe works experienced not by standing still, but by moving through carefully shaped sonic fields. Rather than creating music simply to be heard, Brewster sculpted sound itself, inviting audiences to explore it as physical space. “Within Sound 2” presents six immersive works that grow increasingly complex as visitors move throughout the soaring interior of MWO’s 100-inch telescope dome, revealing Brewster’s singular synthesis of sound, engineering, architecture, and artistic vision.
Attendance for each performance is limited to 60 guests, allowing visitors the freedom to move throughout the space and experience the acoustic sculptures as Brewster intended. As the artist wrote, “We must shift from the ‘stand and look’ behavior of a passive spectator to the exploratory ‘move and listen’ approach of an active participant; slowly walking our ears, instead of moving our eyes, through the environment.”
MWO’s Arts @ The Observatory series invites audiences to experience the universe through art, featuring exhibitions and immersive programs that connect creativity, science, and place at Mount Wilson Observatory, in the spirit of founder and polymath George Ellery Hale. For more information visit www.mtwilson.edu/arts-the-observatory.
VISITING MWO
The gate to Mount Wilson’s campus opens at 10:00am daily and closes at 5:00pm from early April through November. Entrance to the grounds is free. Visitors can hike, gaze at the telescope domes and towers that dot the landscape, and take a look at historic Mount Wilson photos and letters in the Museum.
The Cosmic Cafe (www.mtwilson.edu/cosmic-cafe), located above the main parking lot at the Observatory entrance, is open on weekends in the spring, summer, and fall. In addition to traditional menu items such as hot dogs, drinks, and snacks, the Cafe offers wraps, salads, and sweet treats from Little Flower.
PARKING
A U.S. Forest Service Adventure Pass is required to park at the Observatory. A $5 day pass or a $30 dollar annual pass may be purchased at the Cosmic Cafe on weekends between 10:00am and 5:00pm. During the week, passes are available at locations around Los Angeles. The most convenient location before heading up is at the Shell station in La Canada Flintridge at the bottom of the Angeles Crest Highway (https://find.shell.com/us/fuel/10007957-4530-angeles-crest-hwy/en_US). Visit the U.S. Forest Service website for more information about Passes and other locations to buy them: www.fs.usda.gov/r05/passes/adventure-pass.
For more information about Mount Wilson Observatory, please visit www.mtwilson.edu/visiting.
NOT ADA-COMPLIANT
Please be advised that access to the 100-inch dome is via an open-air, 53-step staircase inside the building. There is no ADA-compliant access.
