J o h a n n e s   B a r f i e l d
VISUAL + SOUND ARTIST

October 8 – November 12, 2026
Tiger Strikes Asteroid, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Curated by Stephanie J. Woods

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Soft Crash is a solo exhibition by Johannes Barfield that brings together spatial audio, sculpture, and lithography to explore an expanding science fiction narrative centered on Pilot Coaltrain, a former archaeologist tasked with returning stolen artifacts and human remains. Set against the backdrop of a world facing an uncertain future, the narrative follows Pilot through extraordinary environments, encounters, and moments of survival. Developed over several years through sound, visual art, and a graphic novel in progress, Pilot Coaltrain serves as the foundation for an interconnected body of work that moves between artistic mediums.

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At the center of Soft Crash is a twenty-minute, six-channel spatial audio installation composed and produced by Barfield. Six speakers positioned throughout the gallery play independent audio channels, allowing sounds to move across the exhibition space and surround visitors. Rather than experiencing the work through a conventional stereo arrangement, audiences encounter an immersive sonic environment in which voices, music, and environmental sounds emerge from different directions, creating a sense of movement and shifting perspective.

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The composition brings together original piano music developed during Barfield's residency at the Hambidge Center in Georgia, field recordings collected over approximately six years, computer-processed sounds, and performances by voice actors, friends, and family. These elements form a layered sonic narrative that moves between intimate moments and expansive, imagined environments. Sound becomes a way of building the world of Pilot Coaltrain, suggesting places, movements, and events beyond what is physically visible in the gallery.

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Accompanying the sound installation are sculptural representations of Pilot Coaltrain, developed through a collaboration with illustrator and concept artist Daniela Gamba and realized using three-dimensional modeling and additive manufacturing processes. These sculptures bring a character from the developing graphic novel into physical space, allowing the narrative to exist beyond the page. The exhibition also includes THE DREAM, a lithograph produced in collaboration with The Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico, with Subin Cho serving as master printer.

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Together, these works explore how a single narrative can unfold through multiple forms of artistic expression. Rather than illustrating the same story in identical ways, each medium offers a different point of entry into the world of Pilot Coaltrain, allowing visitors to encounter the narrative through listening, looking, and moving through space.

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On October 24, 2026, Barfield presented Passenger Seat, a public sound performance developed as an extension of Soft Crash, during the Parallel Play Symposium at Asian Arts Initiative in Philadelphia. For the performance, six vehicles were arranged in a circle with their doors open, transforming the cars into a collective sound system. Positioned at the center, Barfield connected each vehicle to an audio interface and distributed independent channels of sound across the cars, creating an immersive composition that moved from vehicle to vehicle. By bringing the spatial audio work outside the gallery, Passenger Seat extended the exhibition into a public environment, transforming familiar objects into instruments for collective listening.

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Collaborators and Credits

• Curator: Stephanie J. Woods

• Illustration and Concept Art: Daniela Gamba

• Voice Performances: Chaz, Imwen Eke, Szu-Han Ho, and Juneaice Downing

• Sound Engineering: Richard Grouser III

• Lithography: The Tamarind Institute, University of New Mexico, with Master Printer Subin Cho

• Art Handler: dylan lilla