peut la fleur

while i was researching sonic devices and instruments for this project i noticed two things that really motivated my direction.

the main thing i noticed was the amount of trash we have lying around the 'clean, green' AUT campus. the second dawning realisation was that most of these items (although sometimes a bit sticky) were laden with sonic and aesthetic potential.

as such, i decided to use and recycle some of the trash and reinvent it in a way that explores intrinsic potential and presents items in a new way. ....


exploring the trash

i tested paper, food wrappers, plastic cartons, bottles and cans that i found lying around in the nature of trash.

i filled glass bottles with various amounts of liquids and activated air vibrations inside the bottle by holding a motorised fan over the mouth piece. this created interesting droning notes but i felt like it was fairly familiar teritory so i decided to carry on exploring my pile of rubbish until something new struck me. ...

while i was experimenting with a coke can and fan i realised that there was a lot i could do with this often overlooked medium. the can itself acts as a reverb chamber with a convenient sound hole at the top. also, when i put water inside the can and struck it near or below the water line it produced a sonaris, vibrating metalic sound that i'd never really heard before. amazed i paced the house with my can, holding it by the tab for less muting of the sound and greater sound wobble.

i believe the sound i found is produced when vibrations inside the can are activated then modulated by the changing shape and surface area of the moving water inside the can. curiously, soft drink doesn't have quite the same effect. i suspect the small carbonated air bubbles must soak up the sound waves in stead of reflecting them like water does.

construction

i started by heating some thin steel rods with an oxy/acetylene torch then flattening the ends with a hammer and anvil. these were to suspend the can/flowers while providing enough spring to allow maximum vibration and wobble;

i used sheet steel to hold the can tabs and flattened ends of the steel rods together. small nuts and bolts are the fasteners which means cans can be replaced as required.

i cut and curved the fateners to resemble the sructure of the flower and to ensure sound holes are not too greatly obstructed.

i twisted wire around the base to give it strength and epoxied it all together. this meant i was able to twist each stem from side to side inside the epoxy and wire mold and could even pull a stem out if i feel the need.

the base itself is made, once again, from steel. it is a good, heavy chunk which i turned into a more elegant shape on the lathe. although i thought i'd get away with a small, heavy foot to hold it upright, when i started 'playing' the device i realised it was too unstable. this was a worry for me as i didn't want to add a stand that would take visual emphasis from the can/flowers.

i taped up uneven coloured portions of the cans then sprayed the device with black spray paint. i did this to accentuate the idea of cans as flowers and, by extension, a naturalish reincarnation for these pieces of reformed trash.

also, as i want my device to function as a sculptural feature too i thought it was a good aesthetic decision to use this method to draw the viewers' eye to the 'flowers' before the rest of the structure.

i added a semi circular piece of sheet metal which i thought was complimentary to the design and would be versatile in many situations. e.g. in the garden, against a wall, bolted underneath a gutter on an industrial building...

performance

one issue i had when performing was that my device makes fairly delicate sounds so it can be hard to hear. i think this creates an intimate connection between the device and its player(s) but had to mic it up so i could play with my conspirators. contact mics on the cans dulled the sound produced so i used a directional mic on a boom and an amp to boost my signal.

reflection, conceptual analysis and conclusion

i feel my Can Flower is a unique way to present and reuse the discarded cans littered around our campus. it has instrumental value as a percussive, wobbling device utilising the potential that soft drink cans have as a reverb chamber and membrane or striking surface.

i filled the cans with different liquids (e.g. oil, water, soda) and various materials, such as guitar strings and beads, to further explore the sonic potential of the device. this was a natural step and helped me refine the device and make it more versatile to play. this, also, is an example of me letting my materials inform and shape my direction.

the Can Flower is also a movable, interactive sonic instillation. it addresses the impact human waste has on the our landscape. 'trashed' cans are seen at the base, ready to be reabsorbed by the landscape.

i would like to see how people approach it in a public space and will be keen to use this method again to develop a much larger version. next time i would use a thinner, more flexible material for the storks to ensure the liquid is able to wobble more and produce as much of the sonaris sound as one can by holding the can by its tab.

i would like to thank phil dadson for his patience and help, my class for constant feedback and support, and my performance partners max and nelish.

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