Update! I was going to be ready well ahead of time and somehow I kept putting down my piece since I wasn’t feeling the “fun”. Of course this kept up until last night when I simply couldn’t keep my eyes open after spending the morning at the spa (this is at least partly Erin’s fault – more details tomorrow).
Cue the music!
Let me start by apologizing for the sound quality, I really wish it was better. This is the fourth time I’ve joined Erin Prais-Hintz for her wonderful challenges. I always have so much fun discovering new things or looking at familiar things in a new light. When she said we were going to stick with the music and music only I thought that made good sense, but didn’t have a clue where I would start. I must have had Trinidad on my mind from sharing my Uncle’s garden the other day. I was trying to think back to some of the first instrumental music I knew – steelpan. I can picture the album cover now. I don’t have a record player in my home so it didn’t make much sense to borrow it, and it would be hard to share that way too. So you get the next best thing, a live performance.
If you aren’t familiar with steelpan (or steel drum) wikipedia gives a great run down. The take away that comes to my mind: this is a modern instrument, various places reporting it as the “only instrument of the twentieth century” and that has a nice way of falling in line with polymer as a brand new art material also. I searched and searched for a piece to really move me specifically and while I did so I was at the workbench creating the whole while. This page has some great clips from various events and the clip above was my favourite. It’s really like performance art, so much energy and movement I don’t think it is possible to not move to this music.
I’m not sure of the correct terms but, I find while I hear the variety of all the notes being played there is also an overall din that feels like one tone to me. So I created a colour – from many – but without mixing the whole way so you read the overall as a steely blue but close inspection will show a whole variety of blues, whites, silver and a couple pinky shades.
From this mass of polymer I made a variety of beads and components, not sure of how they would come together in the end but hoping for a pan shape, and some movement. I wired the pan shaped beads with some magenta wire and knew they would make a mass of dangles… aha I’ll make a lariat!
I tied some faux suede cording to a donut that I constructed as the focal with another bead and ruffled disc tied to it. Two more of these discs are tied on up the “side” and then the long dangles are a collection of the pan beads and some draped tube beads at the ends. I would cut the cords right there after the knots. But I’m not happy with it yet to be honest. I seem to just have lots of weight and not so much of the movement I was after. I think I could improve this by actually attaching them to chain.
I kind of like how it looks like this, but gravity doesn’t agree with this arrangement. The easiest thing would probably be to take it apart completely and start fresh. I just couldn’t face it last night and thought, nope, I’ll keep it fun as Erin insists and just show you my general direction here. I’m sure the day will come to complete this [If I knew anything about music I would joke here about someone’s unfinished symphony].
Thanks again to Erin for letting us all join in the fun! Please join me in checking out the wonderful music, inspiration and creations I’m sure everyone else has come up with
The Challenge of Music participants Erin Prais-Hintz
Alenka Obid
Ali McCarthy
Alicia Marinache
Amy Severino
Amy Grass
Carolyn Lawson
Cece Cormier
Cynthia Riggs
Ema Kilroy (bowed out)
Emanda Johnson
Emma Todd
Erin Kenny
Evelyn Shelby
Evie and Beth McCord
Gerd Andersson
Holly Westfall
Jennifer Justman
Jenny Davies-Reazor
Jess Green
Judy Campbell
Karla Morgan
Kay Thomerson (bowed out)
Kristina Johansson
Lola Surwillo
Lynn White (bowed out)
Malin de Koning
Mallory Hoffman
Mary K McGraw
Melissa Meman (bowed out)
Melissa Trudinger
Michelle Escano
Michelle Bourbonniere
Michelle Heim (bowed out)
Michelle Mach
Molly Alexander
Molly Schaller (bowed out)
Monique Urquhart
Niky Sayers
Pam Farren
Rebecca Anderson
Sally Russick
Sharon Palac (bowed out)
Sharon Driscoll
Susan Kennedy
Tari Kahrs
Tracy Stillman (bowed out)
Veralynne Malone
