beauty/violence: aria by Carol Zou is the first in a series of installations culled from a body of research investigating the use of classical music for purposes of spatial banishment. The installation features video documentation of public sites that attempt to control the flow of pedestrian traffic through playing classical music; embroidered maps on sound cancelling panels that map out the relationship between sonic and architectural enclosure; surveillance speakers modified for public access; and a score connecting theories of violence, media, capital, the subaltern, and the role of aesthetics as refracted through the prism of Bach’s Goldberg Variations Carol Zou (b. 1988, Hepu, China) is a U.S. based community-engaged artist whose work engages themes of spatial justice, public pedagogy, and intercultural connection in multiracial neighborhoods. They engage durational, process-based collaborations with community contributors using mediums of craft, media arts, and public installation. Zou was active with Yarn Bombing Los Angeles and Otis Graduate Public Practice, organizations that were previously located at 18th Street Arts Center.