Assistant Professor Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri will have a new performative sound kinetic installation/composition titled Resonators premiered by the Quiet Music Ensemble on August 18th at the Kilkenny Arts Festival, one of the biggest festivals in Ireland.
Papalexandri’s commission was supported by a grant from the Irish Arts Council.
Resonators emphasizes the micro-sounds within materials through physical interaction to create minimal yet rather complex organic sounds and textures. It is based on the idea of simplicity that leads to complex behaviors. For this project Papalexandri designed a new instrument in collaboration with artist Pe Lang. The sounds are produced when a motor-driven spinning disc with grooves comes into contact with a foam board and metallic pins, which can be inserted and removed by the performer. Different tones are struck in an emergent, errant manner, making the performer listen intensively, interacting as if it were with a live organism. At the same time, the sound of the engine is amplified by the foam board, which is used here both as a resonator (transducer) and as an ideal material to hold the pins. Musical parameters such as rhythm, pitch, and timbre are determined here by the behavior of materials.
