Winston Wächter Seattle is thrilled to present our first solo exhibition with internationally renowned kinetic sculptor, musician, engineer and sound artist Trimpin. This past year marked the 100th birthday of two of the world’s most recognized avant-garde musical artists: John Cage and Conlon Nancarrow. Trimpin pays homage to their contributions in sound art in his exhibition titled Klavier-Stücke (Piano Pieces). In this installation Trimpin uses musical segments derived from different disciplines and brings them together kinetically, musically, and technologically.
First created in conjunction with Open Space Arts Society and the University of Victoria, Trimpin’s deconstructed pianos generate an acoustically unique timbre of sound as originally explored by Cage and Nancarrow during the past half-century. The compositions in Klavier-Stücke are abstract and improvisational. As is consistent with Trimpin’s overall body of work, these partial pianos will create acoustic sound, relayed electronically. The kinetic devices playing the composition – dampers, pluckers, hammers and other found objects – are controlled from a series of colored silkscreen prints which are mounted on the wall. A motorized X-Y axis arm moves along the wall, scanning each print’s color and thus transforming the signals as musical commands to the devices. Klavier-Stücke combines a multitude of elements in a curious, abstract and uniquely engineered manner, revealing the genius of the artist which is both visually and aurally stimulating.
Trimpin, a MacArthur Fellow, was the subject of the 2009 documentary film TRIMPIN: The Sound of Invention and of the 2011 Book entitled TRIMPIN: Contraptions for Art and Sound. His work has been shown around the world as well as locally at the Seattle Art Museum, the Henry Art Gallery and the Frye Art Museum.
