 |
Fact Sheet |
Play It By Ear
The Sound Art in Play It By Ear
Audio Visual: Visual Audio, created by Michael Brown. This piece consists of Slinky toys of varying lengths mounted on a curved wall. The Slinkies wiggle and oscillate in response to sound coming through attached speakers. Children activate the speakers by pressing any of the keys on a large keyboard.
Ball Machine, created by Fran Holland, Michael Faw and the
Tinker's Workshop in Berkeley. This highly interactive piece includes
"ball delivery" devices, based on ancient and medieval technologies,
created with sixth graders. Artists from the Tinker's Workshop then
constructed a system of tracks for wooden balls to roll down after
being delivered from the ball delivery systems. As the balls descend,
they strike various resonant objects such as alarm bells and old tools.
Visitors operate the ball delivery systems and listen to the tunes
the balls play as they make their way through the contraption.
The Giant Music Box, created by Brenda Hutchinson. This large-scale music box consists of a large revolving drum covered with magnetic strips, and a row of brass bars tuned in quarter-tones. Visitors attach washers to the magnetic strips and the washers hit the brass bars, producing notes when the drum revolves. Changing the pattern of the washers alters the "tune". This piece makes lovely music and is interesting to watch.
Tinker Tones, created by Jason Reinier. This area contains
stations where children experiment with different materials and
create their own pieces of sound art. Sound-making objects (small
bells, wind chimes, xylophone parts and more) are "tinkered"
together using Tinker ToyTM
connectors to build large and complex sound-making contraptions.
Interactives, created by Bay Area Discovery Museum staff
with the exhibit firm Redmond-Jones and Associates. Three interactives
were created to highlight sound as vibration. The first, Washer
Works, is comprised of washers that wiggle down threaded rods
and make mesmerizing sounds. Thing-o-Phone, the second
interactive, uses everyday objects as sound elements. Kids can
strum a tennis racket or plink bicycle spokes on this low table
of household items. The third interactive is a giant drum with a
tractor seat mounted on top. Children sit on the drum and feel
the vibration as they thump.
