BBtv: Playing The Building

Today’s episode of BoingBoing TV visits [David Byrne]’s Playing the Building installation which we covered before. The video provides some insight into the artistic process: they wandered around and whacked things with mallets to see what sounded good. They use counterweighted motors to vibrate cast iron girders and columns. Many of the empty radiators are being struck by solenoids. He says the installation is very approachable because people realize that even if a skilled musician sat down they wouldn’t be any better at playing the device.

4 thoughts on “BBtv: Playing The Building

  1. wtf is this sh|t?
    OK connected some motors…..
    Made some noise….

    But what about music???
    Where’s the music???
    You make some sort of fancy piano and no music. It’s weird to me…

  2. Music is a series of sounds. This isn’t Aerosmith or Metallica, but it’s music. The sounds are just derived from automated remotely-triggered mallets striking different parts of the building. He’s essentially hacking an old building, and making it make sounds, which he’s then making into music. Sort of like those people who play handsaw blades like a violin, or “bend” circuits and play the sound through an amp.

  3. Where is the DIY, the hack, the information we come to this site to be led to be able to do on our own??

    Honestly… great.. I appreciate this art piece, but I come to hack a day to get away from what I already have a degree in; to try something of the hombrew instructed project.

    What is this??
    News?
    *confused*

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