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"Uberorgan" Player Reed Organ Sculpture
By Robbie Rhodes

Hal Davis sent me a tip about this sculpture by Tim Hawkinson that
was displayed (in 2001) at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary
Art.  At http://www.gardendome.com/uberorgan/Uberorgan.html :

  "Tim describes it as a giant self-playing reed organ. ...  Twelve
large reservoir balloons are collectors of pressurized air that is
computer regulated into the reed - resonator assemblies from whence
comes endless varieties of periodic low tones.  The reeds are
electronically controlled by  a player console which acts like a player
piano with a 250-foot-long loop of Mylar painted with dots and dashes
that triggers light sensitive switches.  Motion detectors, timers and
various switches effect the scale, key and tone quality of the several
large silver horn appendages."

At http://www.isama.org/isama/conf/isama00/wlms/moca-org.html is a nice
photograph showing the roll reader.

Robbie Rhodes



(Message sent Sun, 17 Feb 2002 19:02:20 -0800 , from time zone -0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Organ, Player, Reed, Sculpture, Uberorgan