Charles Amirkhanian Collection ➔ A selection of modified instruments and sound sculpture works in Trimpin’s studio, ver. 1, Seattle WA., (1998)
Still image
Identifier
IM.CA.MFP.0001.009Dates
1998 | createdWork Type
Digital photographImage Class
Miscellaneous SceneryImage Series
Trimpin at his Seattle studio in 1998Description
A selection of many of the modified instruments and sound sculptures that Trimpin has built and displayed in his Seattle studio. Trimpin is a sculptor and composer who builds his own electronically controlled acoustic instruments, often using materials recycled from junkyards. Trimpin is one of the most stimulating one-man forces in contemporary music. A specialist in interfacing computers with traditional acoustic instruments, he has developed a myriad of methods for playing trombones, cymbals, pianos, and other instruments from a computer. He has collaborated frequently with Conlon Nancarrow, realizing that composer's piano roll compositions through various media. Born in Germany, Trimpin now resides in Seattle where numerous instruments that defy description adorn his amazing studio. In describing his work, Trimpin sums it up as "extending the traditional boundaries of instruments and the sounds they're capable of producing by mechanically operating them. Although they're computer-driven, they're still real instruments making real sounds, but with another dimension added, that of spatial distribution. What I'm trying to do is go beyond human physical limitations to play instruments in such a way that no matter how complex the composition of the timing, it can be pushed over the limits."Musical instruments
Unconventional instruments
Sound sculpture