PULLMAN, Wash.– The Washington State University Museum of Art has announced the arrival of “Trimpin Soundworks,” by sculptor and composer Trimpin.
The exhibit will be on display Feb. 17-Apr. 9. Trimpin will give a walk-thru of the exhibit for anyone interested at noon on Friday, Feb. 17. An artist’s lecture and public reception will follow the walk-through at 7 p.m. in the Fine Arts Center Auditorium.
The artist, who legally shortened his name to Trimpin, is a sculptor and composer who has lived and worked in Seattle since 1979. He independently researches and conducts experiments in musical, acoustical and sound sculpture design. Through his innovative work in music composition, computer technology and design, he received a MacArthur “Genius” grant in 1997.
Trimpin’s “Sheng High,” a recently completed sound sculpture installation, will turn the entire museum gallery into a work of art and sound. The sheng, which was the first free reed musical instrument made of bamboo, was introduced centuries ago in China. The sound it produces comes from a small reed which begins to vibrate when activated by blown air. With “Sheng High,” water is used to push the air in and out of the bamboo pipe. Up to 40 large-scale bamboo pipes comprise over a three-octave range of sounds.
Each bamboo pipe is suspended over a translucent water vessel by a teepee-shaped structure formed by 10-foot poles. As the pipe is mechanically raised and lowered, a melodic sound is produced from the air funneled through the pipe and the vibrating reed. The signal that operates the mechanism moving the bamboo pole is activated by a graphical wall scanner. Trimpin’s notes are placed on the wall using the same concept as the player piano and are formed by recycled CDs. The scanner relays notes on the wall, allowing the viewer to see and hear simultaneously the composition, creating a room-length graphical score.
Since July 2005, and continuing through 2007, a consortium of 10 regional art institutions and organizations are presenting sequential exhibits of new and major past works by Trimpin. Some of the notable venues include the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, Wash., the Tacoma Art Museum in Tacoma, Wash. and the Missoula Art Museum in Missoula, Mont.
A 200 page full-color trade book will be produced for this exhibit by Marquand Books of Seattle and will be distributed through the University of Washington Press. The publication documents Trimpin’s extraordinary body of work and the regional installations involved in the consortium project. The book includes interpretive essays by noted scholars in the field of sound art and features Regina Hackett, Seattle Post Intelligencer art critic. Funding for the publication is provided through grants and contributions.
Funding for this exhibit and programs has been provided by the Washington State Arts Commission and the Friends of the Museum of Art.
For additional information, visit the WSU Museum of Art web site at: www.wsu.edu/artmuse.
