A Conversation with Devon Turnbull and John Schaefer

Join multidisciplinary artist Devon Turnbull and renowned radio host and author John Schaefer for an evening conversation on music, their work crafting listening experiences, and Turnbull’s latest installation at Cooper Hewitt, HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3. The installation features a large scale, handmade, audio system designed to envelop the listener in sound that is as rich in texture as it is in emotion. After a short introductory talk, experience the listening room as Turnbull and Schaefer operate the sound system and play a selection of music inspired by Schaefer’s iconic radio show New Sounds. HiFi Pursuit Listening Room Dream No. 3 is part of the upcoming Art of Noise exhibition, opening in full February 13, 2026. Devon Turnbull, known under his creative pseudonym OJAS, is a Brooklyn-based artist and audio engineer. Turnbull handcrafts high-fidelity audio systems—monolithic works of functional sculpture that seek to express the natural and emotional essence of music. His work is the result of a lifelong dedication to experimentation, engineering, and explorations in the audio underground. His installations have appeared in cultural institutions such as SFMOMA, Cooper Hewitt, and Lisson Gallery; public spaces including Public Records, Patina Osaka, the Nine Orchard Hotel, and Supreme stores worldwide; as well as the private collections of some of the world’s top musicians and music producers. Through all these projects, Turnbull’s unwavering pursuit of sonic purity remains his defining hallmark. John Schaefer is an American radio host and author. He has hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986. Since 2002, he has also hosted Soundcheck, an arts and culture program engaging guests and listeners in conversations with people from New York City’s creative arts scene. Schaefer has written extensively about music, including the book New Sounds: A Listener’s Guide to New Music (Harper & Row, NY, 1987; Virgin Books, London, 1990); The Cambridge Companion to Singing: World Music (Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2000); and the TV program Bravo Profile: Bobby McFerrin (Bravo Television, 2003). He was contributing editor for Spin and Ear magazines, and his liner notes appear on more than 100 recordings, ranging from “The Music of Cambodia” to recordings by Yo-Yo Ma and Terry Riley.