Drummers are coming from all over to see the light in Sarasota. And you can, too.

Ezra Masch is an interdisciplinary artist from Philadelphia.

Masch does not make art for a wall or a shelf. Instead, he creates spaces.

His latest project, called VOLUMES, opened Sunday at The Ringling.

The installation is a room that puts all focus on two senses: sound and sight.

A bare bones, five-piece drum kit at the head of the room triggers columns of light to flare with varying intensities.

Each piece of the drum kit has a unique tonal range; the ranges prompt different vertical reactions from the columns. For example, the floor tom has the lowest range and causes the base of the column to illuminate.

Volume modulations impact the lights’ reactions horizontally. The louder the hit, the farther the light pulses from the center of the room.

The resulting luminous dance is entrancing and perhaps a little dizzying.

Masch says that observers might want to take a seat on the floor.

It took six weeks to install the light fixtures and prepare the room for its purpose.

Now, musicians from all over the community and the country are coming to The Ringling to have a whack at this drum kit unlike any other.

Performances will run twice daily and are included with museum admission.

A different drummer will interact with the space for every session.

The list of participants includes more than 60 people ranging in age from 12 to 83.

There also will be four separately ticketed evening performances featuring accomplished percussionists. Tickets cost $15.

The four featured drummers span a wide range of musical and life experiences.

They are:

Taylor Gordon: Aug. 16 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Taylor Gordon (also known as The Pocket Queen) is an L.A.-based drummer and producer who attended Berklee College of Music. Gordon has backed all kinds of talent, including Musiq Soulchild, Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé.

Brian Blade: Aug. 23 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Brian Blade is a jazz drummer who’s notorious in a good way. When New College jazz students heard he was coming to town, their jaws dropped, according to Sonja Shea with The Ringling.

Greg Fox: Aug. 30 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Greg Fox is a highly technical drummer who has played in black metal band Liturgy, among other projects.

Antonio Sanchez: Sept. 6 at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

Antonio Sanchez is a five-time Grammy award winning drummer and composer. Among his most notable work is the score for the film “Birdman.”

The performances will not be exactly like any show that the musicians have played before.

According to Masch, the space is not about planned performance; it is about interaction and improvisation.

“The drummer responds to what they’re seeing,” Masch said. “The audio-visual interaction influences their creative process as they play.”

Masch’s project is partially inspired by a long history of audio-visual instruments. One of the first modern ones was French mathematician Louis Bertrand Castel’s idea for an ocular harpsichord. In theory, it correlated the seven tones of the diatonic scale with the seven colors of the rainbow.

For Masch, it is a different way of thinking about music.

“I hope it will open people up to a different way of thinking about what they’re hearing,” Masch said.

Aside from creating his atmospheric art pieces, Masch plays music, curates art shows and instructs college art courses.

For more information, visit ringling.org/events/volumes.

This story was originally published August 13, 2018 at 1:27 PM.