SIMON RUMMEL
THE SECRET OF LIFE // VERSION 2020-21
In 2012-13 the visual Artist →Vera Lossau and me invented and developed sound sculptures. Colorful hollow objects were put into frames with piano wire, and by tilting these frames and operating hand cranks, the visitors could make the sculptures play some distinct microtonal modulations, caused by the changing effects of gravity the moving objects have onto the strings.
Here is a video of the work as it was presented in 2013 at the Kunstverein Duisburg:
Unfortunately, the little piano hammers we used back then hardly made the sculptures sound the way I had imagined them to. The commission of a new version of this work by the →Acht-Brücken-Festival for contemporary music in Cologne made it possible for me to develop new mechanics. The corona virus confinements caused a postponement of the exhibition and so I had almost literally "all the time in the world" to work on the new version.
There are still some problems to be solved, but here are some videos and photos of the process. Below the simulation of my first idea:
Then I did a lot of woodworking:
Finally, the new mechanics work well!
The exhibition of all ten sculptures as part of the Acht-Brücken-Festival is now scheduled for 10th until 24th of march 2021, at the →artothek Köln.
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