Sound Mechanisms

Kausik Mukhopadhyay

Swanand Lawhale

The studio's primary objective was to create and modify machines using discarded objects or ready-made, manipulating, cutting, and reorganizing them while experimenting with simple mechanisms. Discarded items, once functional, lost their original identity and gained new meanings in the process. The focus extended to exploring movement dynamics, questioning whether machines were propelled by motors or human intervention, and examining the intricacies of joineries and control mechanisms.

Sound emerged as a central element in their work, with the intention of allowing the movement of objects to generate distinct sounds. The process involved recording urban, neighbourhood, and domestic sounds, breaking them down, combining them, and creating sound machines through drawings. The emphasis was on the movement-based generation of sound, rather than producing sound intentionally.

This module guided them through various exercises, including discussions on personal music preferences and exploring jazz. Everyday sounds like footsteps, bird chirps, bells, and train station announcements were collected. The subsequent step involved gifting these sounds to others, creating short sound bites, and focusing on the emotional response rather than the sound's origin.

Upon creating sound bytes, the participants translated their emotional responses into drawings, identifying specific movements associated with the sounds. These drawings then served as blueprints for constructing machines aimed at producing diverse movements, with sound being a by-product of their explorations. The collective effort resulted in a performance where background music complemented the intricate workings of these machines, resembling a short musical presentation.