For our project “Tree PONG I”, we wanted to create a growing sound sculpture that invites interaction and sound experiments. The foundation of the sculpture consists of two larger metal frames that we had left over from building the kiosk—originally, it was a greenhouse. We planned the instrument on-site and only packed a few basic materials.
Sound
We’ve often toyed with the idea of building an instrument in Messestadt Riem that primarily uses wind for sound production. There are plenty of open spaces in the neighborhood, and let’s be honest, there’s no shortage of wind either. A piece of art in the trade fair city titled „Löwenspinne” might just serendipitously turn into a sound installation as the wind whistles through the ropes of the sculpture…
For our sculpture, we decided to set aside the wind aspect for now and instead worked with strings, a contact microphone, and some wooden and metal parts.
The Drill
One of the workshop participants had a brilliant idea: he attached a cable tie to a bit holder from a cordless drill and used it to pluck the strings quickly and repeatedly. The sound was very nice and it tied in beautifully with the cultural building context of our project.
With mallets, a contact microphone, and a small amp, we were able to create an incredible range of sound nuances while playing, and just as we hoped, the instrument got plenty of love and attention. Moving forward, we’ll be developing the instrument further and capturing even more performances.
Equipment and Tools:
- Contact Microphone
- Marshall Mini Amp
- Piano Strings and Tuning Pins (+ Tuning Key)
- Cordless Drill (+ Bit Holder and Zip Ties)
- Wood and Metal Parts
