Object | Motion | Rhythm
Percussion Instruments
A new adaptation of familiar musical instruments. Design that came in the wake of an in-depth study of sound and motion. Instruments that are simple and easy to use, even for those who not play a musical instrument.
A research, cultural and formal project that examines the relationships between rhythm, motion and sound in musical instruments.
The design of four new percussion instruments based on the principles of familiar instruments.
I began this project from a somewhat different starting point. I am not a musician and I have never played a musical instrument professionally. Therefore, the obvious question is, why did I choose the world of music for my project if I have no connection to it? The answer to that is because music touches me as it touches all of us, sometimes subconsciously. It is inherent in us, from the rhythm of our stride to the tempo of our heartbeat. Rhythms can change our mood and even affect us physically.
The fact that I am not a musician and my decision to work in this field without prior experience proved to be an advantage to me in the process. It should be noted that it enabled me to work without restraints and to relate to the objects with a degree of audacity and naivety.
I chose four familiar and iconic instruments which were selected as the preliminary basis of a work method focusing on formal and functional cultural research. These instruments were chosen for their simplicity. The manner in which the sound is produced is easy and they emphasize the relationship between body and instrument. The sounds are influenced by body movements.
I began an in-depth study aimed at stretching the boundaries of sound and form, simplifying, maximizing, changing, combining, redefining, decontextualizing, experiencing and innovating. I studied the instrument from a cultural and historical perspective. I analyzed our body movements and as result I created a series of instruments which produce rhythm in different ways that relate to movement.
The four instruments presented here were chosen after discussion with potential users: amateur musicians, percussionists, and people who have no knowledge of the subject at all. Their reactions and the ways in which they used the instruments enabled me to focus on the most precise instruments.