Due to the extension of New York on PAUSE, no work on the campus renovation projects were undertaken at Caramoor until the end of May 2020. However, this provides us with an opportunity to let you know about the exciting work that had been taking place off-campus on a key new piece of the Friends Field and Venetian Theater entrance landscape — a signature piece of sound art by Trimpin, in“C”.
Washington-based artist Trimpin is known to Caramoor’s audience for his work, The Pianohouse, which was part of our 2014 exhibition In the Garden of Sonic Delights. Over the past few months, prior to other construction, manufacturing, and travel “pauses” due to COVID-19, progress on his new commission for Caramoor had been underway by Turner Exhibits, Inc., Trimpin’s partner in fabricating his pieces.
From this scale model of in"C", to this projected image of how the piece could appear in situ, we're very excited to show you these pictures of the progress, and of the construction site at Caramoor where it will eventually be installed.
For more information about Trimpin and this piece, we share the following article which was originally prepared by Laura Schiller, Publications Editor, for the Program Book for the now re-imagined 2020 Summer Season.* [Please see Caramoor’s announcement about plans for Summer 20/2.0]
Introducing in“C”
New permanent sound artwork by Trimpin anchors Caramoor’s Sonic Innovations collection.
When Caramoor first asked Trimpin to create a permanent sound art sculpture in celebration of its 75th Anniversary, the world-renowned sound artist thought about Caramoor’s acoustical environment: the birds singing, the wind in the trees, and the blissful absence of street noise. He then conceived of in“C”, the interactive kinetic sculpture shaped as a 16-foot high double letter C now located in the entry plaza, welcoming guests as they arrive.
From the top of the C’s curve, 24 tuned metal bell chimes ranging over two octaves are suspended. Made out of steel and utilizing electromechanical components, in“C” interacts with visitors through a motion sensor (as you approach, its melodious chimes draw you closer) and through the physical activation of a push-button panel (don’t be shy!).
The push-buttons activate the structure’s chimes to play pre-composed short pieces, each 1-2 minutes long. In addition to Trimpin’s music, Caramoor commissioned pieces from four composers featured during the 2020 summer season: Christopher Cerrone, Anna Clyne, Missy Mazzoli, and Nico Muhly. As Caramoor continues to work with composers, the chime-piece library will grow.
When in“C” is in its education mode, a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) keyboard enables visitors of any musical ability (or even none!) to make their own chime music, as the chimes respond to the strikes on the keyboard.
Sound Art at Caramoor
Trimpin’s work first appeared at Caramoor in 2014’s In TheGarden of Sonic Delights, Caramoor’s first major sound art exhibition. Curated by Chicago-based sound artist and Northwestern University professor Stephan Moore, the exhibition included the work of 16 sound artists and launched what has, over the past six years, developed into an integral part of Caramoor’s adventurous programming.
“That huge infusion of sound art showed everyone that sound art could complement the diverse programming here,” says Moore, who has continued as the curator of Caramoor’s current sound art program Sonic Innovations. “We knew that sound art could add an extra dimension to this place, so you might come to hear the symphony and have a picnic, and while exploring the beautiful grounds you would encounter these other forms of art. There’s a lot of room at Caramoor for permanent sound art that brings out the best of the space and the artists, and brings that to the audience.”
While sound art has thrived for decades in cultural venues, museums, and public spaces, Caramoor is unique in the U.S. for having multiple works of sound art installed in an outdoor concert and garden setting as a permanent exhibition.
This would certainly be a profound source of pride for Caramoor’s founder Lucie Rosen, who was deeply interested in all areas of the arts including championing composers of her time working with sound and technology. For Moore, this ongoing exploration of sound art brings a bit of Lucie’s eclectic set of interests into Caramoor every year.
Who is Trimpin?
Gerhard Trimpin — known since the 1960s by the single moniker Trimpin — is an internationally acclaimed composer, musician, visual artist, and inventor, engaged in commissions and exhibitions at venues around the world. Born in 1951 and based in Seattle for the past 25 years, he grew up near the German Black Forest, an area that has a history rich in mechanical music machines (think cuckoo clocks and pianolas, or player pianos).
Fascinated with sound exploration in his early childhood, Trimpin often experimented with sound and distance in the German woods. Using the tools from a well-stocked cabinetry shop in his home (his father was a cabinet maker by trade), he took apart and reassembled old radios and musical instruments. By age 10, he was inventing his own eccentric instruments.
The son of amateur musicians, the young Trimpin learned to play brass instruments but developed a mysterious allergy to metal that forced him to give up playing. He turned to electro-mechanical engineering. Self-taught, he mastered how the memory works on a pianola and devised a machine that could transcribe and preserve the piano paper rolls digitally. He became a leading specialist in combining musical compositions with computer technology.
Throughout his career, he has created installations that incorporate complex technological sculptural elements. On permanent display in his hometown area are: If VI was IX, a sound sculpture composed of 600 electric guitars at MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture); Hydraulis, an elegant interactive water sculpture at the Seattle Center Key Arena; and On: Matter, Monkeys, and the King, a multimedia kinetic wind-up-toy structure next to the rolling walkway in Sea-Tac International Airport.
In his 2014 Garden of Sonic Delights installation, The Pianohouse, Trimpin wanted to create a piece that every visitor could feel free to explore. What he created was a house-like structure from the frameworks of six upright pianos.
“I try to use other ways to make the sculpture look not so much like a musical instrument, so people will actually play,” Trimpin explains. “For instance, why is there a wheel here and what happens when you turn it?” He hopes Caramoor visitors will approach in“C” with that kind of curiosity.
“My work is an ongoing exploration of the concepts of sound, vision, and movement,” he says, “experimenting with combinations that will introduce our senses of perception to a totally new experience.”
A MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award recipient and a Guggenheim Fellow, Trimpin has been commissioned by Lincoln Center, San Francisco’s Exploratorium, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and Seattle Symphony, among others.
This article was written before the COVID-19 outbreak and the reimagination of Caramoor’s Summer Season. Plans for installation(s), participating Sonic Artists, and/or commissions have since changed. We are also evaluating any potential health and safety concerns about the interactive components of the installation. Stay tuned to our website for additional information about Summer 20/2.0 and campus visits.
Caramoor would like to thank the following generous donors for their assistance in making Trimpin’s vision come to life at Caramoor:
Nancy S. Offit,
Laureen and David Barber,
The Shanbrom Family Foundation,
and
Tina and Ian Winchester.
If you would like to learn more about Sound Art at Caramoor and our Sonic Innovations programming and previous exhibitions, please visit: https://caramoor.org/music/sonic-innovations/
All of us at Caramoor hope that you and yours continue to stay well. Despite the temporary construction delay caused by being “on pause,” we look forward to sharing more about our campus renovations and related work very soon. Until we can “C” you again, we will continue to provide updates via our weekly e-blasts [sign up here!] and through our various social media channels Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
We know we’ve said it before, but Thank You for your patience and for paying attention to our important construction-related and campus closing messaging. We want you to enjoy a visit to Caramoor whenever it is deemed safe to do so. Please continue to visit our website for the most up-to-date information about the continuously evolving situation.