Music in Architecture - Architecture in Music Competitionby Zbigniew Piotrowicz & Soneil Inayat
Music is a space. The architectural concept creates an interesting space where one can feel the composition. Being surrounded by sounds and physical items one must feel a unity. Music gives very individual feelings. That’s why the space is very much at hand (everything is close) and that’s why the general size of the installation is relatively small.
The space is created by two openwork walls – timber columns and two existing solid walls. It generates a kind of echo effect, to support the electronic composition would. Timber columns and a piece of material from the ceiling soften the echo effect by absorbing a little bit of the sound, but not everything.
There are three main parts of the composition: strong beat of 4/4 rhythm which changes after half song to double beat 4/4, bass line containing one half note and two quarter notes and calm, long, relatively steady leading tune. Simple scheme containing three most popular instruments: guitar, bass and drums, but proceeded by computer.
The architecture is presented in the same way: strong rhythm of openwork walls of columns, dominating figure inside representing bass line as the soul of the installation and a light material dropping down from the ceiling as the leading tune.
Many people say that bass is the most important instrument in the band. Bass is a soul. The structure representing bass line is a dominating figure in the whole installation. Five metal rings fixed together by transparent folia or transparent sticking tape, hang to the columns on side by transparent lines about 0.8 m above the ground. This tube structure, would encourage people want to look inside. And that’s like looking into a soul towards the players at the end - on the other side. There is another option in place, a bass speaker inside. It requires further engineering works and redesigning the structure.
Five rings create four spaces in between that relates to the rhythm of the bass tune. Two last rings are hanging higher. It’ s according to the changes in notes – from G to A. Frontal shape of the rings is related to the transcription of the bass line in notes. Listening the composition one can follow the ring formation according to the tune.
The hang structure by thin transparent (strong enough) lines crossing the hanging material fixed to the ceiling. It’s like a spider net, allegory of bass mission in a band, as cement that puts all the parts of the composition together.
Solo instruments are completely free, they meet the rhythm and the bass line, but generally – they are free. Keith Richards said that the solo instrument can always be drunk, but bass and drums must be always sober.
A light material from the top dropping down from the ceiling represents the leading tune of the composition. The main melody is like a light material, flowing from somewhere to somewhere. That’s why I decided to use a material. According to the sound silver silk is preferable. Relatively linear drop down level of the hanging piece represents steady leading tune, the chord changes after couple of bars. The additional feelings give the vibrations from the speakers, which are placed on the top above the material. They are fixed to the additional structures and spanned between the columns and from an engineering point of view is an additional bracing. And everything is not seen from the performing level. We can only see the waving material.
Music is a personal travel following different sound stages, sounds, like a tunnel. I could put as many columns as we have drumbeats in the composition, but I chose the most representative part, which contains every bit of the composition. The free space inside represents the beginning of the composition when we hear drums at the begging, then we need to wait for next elements. That’s the invitation.
Choosing the materials, size 125x125 mm of timber columns, steel and artificial wrap of bass line structure and silver silk represent the lightness, balance and tone of the composition, electronic and modified by computer. Drums sound natural, that’s why I propose wood to make the columns, but the computer modifies them too – that’s why I suggest painting them black. The leading tune is light as a silk; the silver colour represents the computer effect.
The architectural installation is optimistic as the major scale of the composition, but nostalgic too and it’s caused by the elements from a minor scale. That’s the general impression that I think I achieved.
Zbigniew Piotrowicz: Architect / www.piotrow.prv.pl<
My cooperation with architect was good. We choose the most spacious composition among my pervious ones and basing on the same feelings I did something that way. My composition “Magic Bullet Theory” is a space with the elements on many levels.
The main challenge was to create a piece of music that represents space and structure. I imagined that the best way to represent this would be to make a sound that both created a solid structure with a hollow depth much like the functionality of an architectural space.
Soneil Inayat: Composer / www.soundcloud.com/zapruder