Coin Chandelier
The environment we live in constantly creates noises that people naturally disregard. In reading The Music of the Environment, author R. Murray Schafer mentions how the world’s soundscape is in a state of constant change and how this has allowed a new chapter of musical composition to unfold before the world’s eyes. In watching John Cage speak upon his theory of sound and explain that there be no need for harmony to create music. There is sound happening all around us- unusual and consistent noises overwhelm our ears from the minute we wake up to the second before we drift to sleep, and it is people who have the power to extract meaning from it. Cage picked up objects from his immediate environment to create a sound that he would turn into some form of song. He used something as organic as leaves to start configuring a new kind of soundscape, using them as an uncommon instrument. Cage inspired me to do the same: attempt to create a noise that could transform into song through objects from my environment. I found that coins tapping against one another made a tiny delicate sound, and then began picking up all that I found on the streets. Using wire, I made a chandelier in which I could suspend the coins, enabling them to strike one another when spun in a circular motion. I wanted to create something that was able to make noise with simple movements. With wood, I hung the chandelier, giving it a frame to stabilize its motion. In short continuous circular movements, the coins knock together to create a small dainty song- almost sounding similar to an actual chandelier made of glass. Schafer and Cage challenged me to build an instrument using materials from my environment, an unconventional source of sound and song.
