Posts tagged ‘instrument’
The Sound Table
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Why did the Curiosity Team create the Sound Table?
We play around with a lot of things in unorthodox ways in the Curiosity Lab; the Sound Table basically came to be through play. Paul decided to attach one of our contact microphones to a table. In turn he was able to amplify any sound made on any surface of the table. Amplified sounds are fun to play with, it’s incredibly interesting to hear all the little sounds that we take for granted. The simple act of running your hand across the Sound Table produces some amazing sounds.
What is the Sound Table?
The Sound Table takes a simple, everyday table and turns it into an instrument by using an amplified speaker and a contact microphone. A contact microphone is used to pick up any vibrations made to whatever object it is connected to and then it is able to transmit those audio vibrations through an amplified speaker. The Sound Table gives us an excellent platform to use different objects (such as sand paper, wooden sticks, metal buckets, washers, toy cars, the Lab Cow, tuning forks and our own hands) to create vibrations on the table which are amplified through the speaker. Basically, we are giving visitors an excuse to make as much noise as they want.
How does the Curiosity Team use the Sound Table?
The Sound Table is a very versatile exhibit. Visitors are provided a number of materials to use to create different sounds through the table. People of all ages enjoy making noise, and the ability to create interesting sounds with every day materials is always fun. I find it incredibly interesting to experiment with the Sound Table; there are so many unnoticeable sounds going on at all times that we just do not hear. But the Sound Table affords us the opportunity to actually hear those sounds. The contact microphone and amplified speaker have actually made a few field trips to other areas of the Museum as well. It is incredibly interesting to hook up the microphone to anything in the Museum to see what sounds can be produced. Some examples of things we have amplified include: the stairs leading up to the Gravity Room, a large sheet of metal, the Silk Screening station in the Art Studio, a chair behind the Front Desk, an easel in the Art Studio and a certain employee’s desk. The contact microphone allowed us to hear the subtle sounds that take place all throughout the Museum. The Sound Table creates a unique way to explore the world around us that we cannot always hear.
Let us know what you want to hear.
-Kevin
Hooray for creativity! Three cheers for the Curiosity Lab!
Jeff Schreckengost with one of his guitars
I’ve been interested (obsessed may be a more appropriate word) in guitars – their design and the sounds they make for the past 30 years — and have always had the desire to create my very own music-making tools.
I tinkered a bit with old thrift store instruments, trying to find various ways to improve or alter them. I learned many things by trial and error and had a lot of fun along the way.
My goal is to create functional works of art from found objects; It’s a recycling mission of sorts. I may reconfigure existing instruments or build everything from scratch using reclaimed hardwoods. When someone picks up one of my instruments, they’re often shocked and amused that what they’re holding may have been a dining room table, part of a barn floor or a door to a church.
I’m really pleased to have a few of my instruments on display in the Curiosity Lab and hope they inspire others to make their very own imaginative musical tools.
To see some examples of the things i make, visit http://jschreckengost.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/instruments/ or drop by the Curiosity Lab and see them in person while you create your own one of a kind instrument.
Jeff
Children's Museum of Pittsburgh
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