program

I-Beam Music		8/19 - 8/20/1995
	mechanized sound performance by Nicolas Anatol Baginsky and Barry Schwartz
I-Beam Music is a multi-dimensional sound sculpture by Nicolas Anatol Baginsky and Barry Schwartz (San Francisco, Ca.), whose strength develops when it is played live by the artists. This work was developed by the two strong-willed multi-talents. The central element of the installation is a 4 meter long I-beam that is outfitted with 6 strings. During the performance this instrument is automatically moved and played in completely unique ways. Mechanical fingers pluck strings, chemicals produce notes, heat and cold shocks change sounds. The bizarre sound structures produced this way are altered even further through a computer and are enhanced by electronic instruments. Observation cameras inside the instrument and on different points on the machines allow the public an endoscopic view into the inner workings of the installation. The pictures from the electronic eyes are cast live onto a large screen. Nicolas A. Baginsky has been active a long time as a meticulous concept artist. After his studies he collected experiences in the U.S.A. in the areas of theater and art. Back in Germany, besides his own projects, he planned machines and computer controlled objects for the avant garde dance ensemble COAX. These strange constructions change conventional dance and have become the central aspect of COAX's productions.Baginsky develops alongside that his intelligent machines and neuron systems. The center point of his work is his interest in computer supported networks that are equipped with an independent learning ability. His most well-known work, the interactive sculpture Elisabeth Gardner, is among the collection of the Art Hall in Hamburg. Barry Schwartz lives and works in San Francisco. One of the special branches from the origins of concept art is in bloom there. Young artists, such as Barney W. Haynes and the artist group TODT, are technifying and further developing this art form. One of the roots of this new concept is the huge machine and scrap metal projects of the Survival Research Laboratories. Schwartz produces objects, sculptures and environments with constructive clarity and demands from them with nervous sensitivity virtouso sound constellations. After a one-week work phase both artists produced the machine-supported concert I-Beam Music on August 20 and 21,1995. see also: I-Beam Music Website (link opens in new window)