Motorik or What!

The Musikinstrument is nearly finished. I just need to tidy some aspects up. The individual tubes need separate microphones to amplify the sound in the tubes which other wise cannot be heard. This in turn needs to be to be put through a pre-amp and a mixer in order for the instrument to be played. I also need to learn how to play it!

 Very Motorik as some one has said.

 Russolo in his patent suggests that, 'Instead of pipes, resonators of another kind,
e.g. strings, can be used.' Here I think I'm going to try a metal spring which was used in another of Russolo's machines.

Set the controls for the heart of the Sun

One aspect of my work is a practical investigation into these sound machines. I feel I have tried to make the scissor mechanism work by adding a support and sliding rails but this does not improve the operation, so I will take up Russolo's suggestion in his patent that this Nurnberg (Nuremberg) scissor type mechanism 'can be replaced by any other type of construction'. I'm going to use simple levers and pulleys, mechanisms Russolo has used in his other machines. 

Supporting rails and linear bearings.

Addition of the pulleys. Still thinking about keeping the scissor mechanism in place.

Pulleys and lever controls. This mechanism works, the only problem I have at the moment is the string 'riding off ' the pulleys. My next step is to amplify the sound in the tubes and then tidy the machine up.

Musikinstrument final assembly and failure.

People who looked at the patent plans said it wouldn't work. I wasn't too sure but by making the machine as faithfully to the plans I hoped to find out what any problems might be. Here's the final assembly.

 

 

Mechanically there is too much movement, twisting and pivoting on the lever mechanism to pull the tubes up. Either some structural supports need to be added or a completely new slider mechanism devised. Russolo in his patent says that this Nurnberg (Nuremberg) scissor type mechanism 'can be replaced by any other type of construction'. 

The extension of the tubes would seem to make no difference to the sound. There is a pitch difference but that is made by the underneath pressure roller tightening the drum skin. The sound is similar to that made by my Ronzatori where the drum skin is tightened by the string. In fact Russolo suggests that the pipes could be replaced by 'resonators of another kind, e.g. Strings could be used'. 

So as I blogged earlier I suspect that like the Instrument de Musique this machine was never made and really only the sketch of an idea to be developed. Ultimately the sounds it makes are a little underwhelming given the effort made to realize the machine.

Musikinstrument progress

 Using a 3d printer I've started to print out the brackets and flanges for the telescopic tubes. Now I'm quite confident at coding and using the printer I might look to add printed parts to my earlier machines.

Starting to take shape. I'm not convince this is going to work. The levers seem too flimsy and the whole mechanism will perhaps need some support.

Musikinstrument

The Musikinstrument was another enigmatic design by Russolo. It's unclear how the instrument will be played to make the sound, but I've started to construct it and perhaps this will become clearer once it's made. Russolo obtained a patent for this machine in Germany 1920. I've put a copy here Musikinsrument patent 1920

Like the French patent of 1931, the musical instrument which used a conveyor belt to activate a spring, I wonder if it was ever made or if it will be practical. I intend to find out.

I can't decide whether to put the tubes in a linear or triangular configuration. I'll just have to see which method will achieve the best lever slide action. As you can see I'm using transparent tubes. Here I intend to have coloured lights in the machine to create a synesthesia effect which of course was one of Russolos investigations.

I've only just 'sat' the tubes on the holes. I need to 3D print some brackets once I've figured out the code. In the meantime I'll start the scissor leaver mechanism.

21st Sept progress

Underneath the drum there is a skin tensioning slider mechanism. Without a proper orthographic view of this, the drawing would suggest it slides at an angle. I think so positioned it would be difficult to work with the lever.

 

So I'm fixing the rail centrally.

Fixing the slider mechanism.

 

The Sonic Hamster Wheel

Russolo describes his Scoppiatori Exploder/ Burster as producing 'noises like the bursting of objects that break and shatter', I've had a bit of difficulty trying to recreate this effect. At first I was thinking along the lines of a lever using strings to lift up on a number of metal plates similar to a Venetian blind, to then drop and crash down on to a suitable resonating material. But my experiments produced a very unsatisfactory sound. So I'm now planning to using a rotating drum which will lift up a variety of material such as metal, ball bearings in the manner of a cement mixer to let it crash down. Of course the use of cement mixers and revolving drums in sound art is well established. I attended the re-enactment of the Concerto for voice and machinery at the ICA in 2007. Here the performers used two cement mixers into which were smashed bottles. You can see excerpts from this here...... 

https://youtu.be/9RcGxi2Z7J0 

Please google 'Concerto for voice and machinery ICA' for links to videos and further information about this event and the original performance in 1984. In the original performance power tools were used to destroy the stage. The performers included Genesis P-Orridge and members of Einstürzende Neubauten. By comparison my hamster style wheel will be very tame.

A metal wrap to reproduce an industrial sound. The mesh is to let the sound out.

Things are starting to get a little tight fitting things inside the intonarumori.

Here's a brief test using some ball bearings, nuts and bolts. The design of the wheel will allow these contents to be changed.

Here's the wheel fitted inside the intonarumori.

MK Calling 2020

Yeah I was there too......https://www.mkgallery.org/whats-on/mk-calling-2020/