Output details

Air guitar

Air Guitar is a kinetic sound sculpture which consists of an electric guitar and amplifier which are rotated mechanically in the space. The vibrations of the motor and air passing over the strings cause the guitar to sound a perpetual chord which is amplified above the audience’s heads. The motion of the speaker and reverberation of the room create subtle shifts in the guitar’s chord producing a calm, harmonious and enveloping drone. The effect of this sound is countered by the physical fear of the sheer mass of the objects that rotate overhead, leading to a situation in which the audience is simultaneously drawn to and recoiling from the work.

The work was first shown in a group exhibition at Kunsthalle Faust in Hannover and has subsequently been included in both the Lodz Biennale of 2010 and the Mediations Biennale in Poznan, 2012. This work was the final piece in a progression of work exploring the production of sound from traditional string instruments by mechanical means. These three works are to be documented on a forthcoming Three Works for Strings LP on American label REL Records in late 2013. The first of these works, For Violin, Viola and Tape was reconstructed live at Royal Festival Hall as part of the Scrap Piano Challenge and subsequently exhibited at BEAM Festival.