Work
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Australian Sound Design Project
Work
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Weather Harp (2003 - 2006) |
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| Environmentally Sensitive Installation, Kinetic Installation and Outdoor Installation | ||
| Location: Sugden Place, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Wind operated, resonator harp made from marine ply, goat-skin, epoxy, stainless steel and mixed media by David Murphy with Cameron Robbins. Commissioned by the City of Melbourne as part of the 2003 Laneway Commissions. |
Details | |
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The Weather Harp was based on a limpit shell, and incorporates the Fibonacci numbers and the Golden Mean into its design. It has 21 strings that radiate out from the centre of the resonator to produce two tuned notes per string, giving it 42 notes in all - it is tuned to an E flat pentatonic scale. The body is made of a marine ply front (1400 mm x 860 mm), with the back and resonator made from formed goat skins impregnated with a marine epoxy. The Weather Harp is played by two wind activated devices. The wind cups were designed and made by David Murphy and play a rhythmic melody on the treble strings via an eccentric connected to the bamboo plucking arm. The Balance Arm, designed and built by Cameron Robbins, plays the bass line by plucking backwards and forwards across the bass strings as the turbulence in the lane hits the aluminium sail. It also has a line attached to it that enables the public to activate the arm from the footpath. The Weather Harp plays its music to whoever is in Sugden Place to listen. It’s song is a mixture of mechanics and chance, a product of it design and the wind at the time. Postscript – The Weather Harp has since been decommissioned, and is now looking for a new home. | |
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ArtistCommissioning BodySite | |
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Published by The University of Melbourne Comments, questions, corrections and additions: i.mott@unimelb.edu.au Prepared by: Acknowledgements Updated: 18 January 2007 http://www.sounddesign.unimelb.edu.au/web/biogs/P000600b.htm |
