David Byrne: Playing the Building
Music legend David Byrne transforms an entire NYC building into a giant musical instrument, and Xeni joins him inside for a BBtv tour.
Playing the Building is Byrne's latest sonic innovation, and morphs the century-old Battery Maritime Building into a clanging, vibrating sound sculpture. In this installation, the former Talking Heads co-founder blurs the boundaries between the creators and consumers of culture. He explains:
Devices [have been] attached to the building's structure — to the metal beams and pillars, the heating pipes, the water pipes — and are used to make these things produce sound. The activations are of three types: wind, vibration, striking. The devices cause the building elements to vibrate, resonate and oscillate so that the building itself becomes a very large musical instrument.Byrne sees music as deeply embedded within the natural sounds that surround us every day, and believes "anyone can be a writer, artist, or musician if they want to."
Playing the Building continues through August 10, 2008 at 10 South Street, New York, NY; open every Friday through Sunday, noon - 6pm. Admission is free of charge.
(Photos used in this episode: Clayton Cubitt. Special thanks to Danielle Spencer, and Jason Wishnow).
Update: Byrne will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Webby Awards tonight.
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Holy fuck is this AWESOME.
Broken link on this link:
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/10/bbtv-david-byrne-pla.html (the one that goes to "Link to Boing Boing tv post with discussion and downloadable video.")
Awesome, indeed. Hope we see more of these kinds of adventures.
First, the installation is phenomenal concept. Breathtaking in its enormity and simplicity.
Second, it would make for a wonderful soundtrack to David Lynch's next film, or for a re-scoring of Eraserhead.
Third, Xeni, you got to hang out with David Byrne, who has a museum-quality mind. What was it like?
The installation reminds me of something I think I heard on CBC Brave New Waves years ago, it was this jazz trumpet player who was playing some piece of music as he walked through a building, and unlike a studio where the room is buffered against echo's and the like, you could hear how the room affected the sound coming back to the mic's picking up the music he was playing. So you stopped listening to the music he was playing and how the environment was affecting it, essentially listening to the room itself. This I guess chunks up that idea and literally PLAY's the environment itself. That must have been awesome.
In watching this piece on David Byrnes playing a building, I'm reminded of two other instances using a buildings harmonics. One was the jazz flutist Paul Horn -1968 album 'Inside', recorded in the Taj Mahal, and in the Great Pyramid of Cheops. And the other was a story I read about Nikola Tesla experimaneting with high-speed vibrating motors (powered by compressed air or steam) in his lab in Manhattan. He mounted them to the iron columns of the industrial buildings structure, and got a harmonic wave going through the columns into the bedrock below the building, that then radiated out into the neighborhood, causing alarm for some distance. His neighbors rushed to his lab to get him to turn it off before it did too much damage!
About 10 years ago, I performed briefly with MASS ensemble, who were at the time doing similar work. One particular installation involved turning the Chicago Field Museum into a giant resonating stringed instrument. Nice to see David Byrne's take on the giant/environmental instrument theme.
The installation was beyond my emotive grasp, let alone technical expertise. Suffice it that it is both inspiring and melancholy to see the mind and body of work that is Byrne's presented here at Boing Boing. I would rather have seen this first in the mainstream, if there is one anymore.
David Byrne requires this approach toward another avenue of expression. As a fan of his work from high school days, thank you.
Follow up: Is violent upheaval necessary at this scale when approaching urban blight? Less obliquely, is Byrne really helping here, or is he really bored? Secondarily, does his project constitute the designation "steam punk" or is it merely art.?
I was always the one asked to clean the erasers or walk the dog growing up. Not sure I can really comment here.
Here's the true industrial music. Great!
Guys, just so you know...
I get my fix of boingboing tv via the mp4 feed (the same one used in iTunes, so it auto-synchs to an iPod), and this entry today came off as a flash (.swf) file over there, and it borked the whole podcast automatic delivery magic.
Never had any boingboing tv downloaded as a flash file before. Perhaps something enclosed the wrong file in the feed?
The installation is in my neighbourhood. My friends and I were there for the opening. It really was a unique experience. I got some nice audio recordings of my wife and my friend's four-year old playing the building.
I was fortunate to meet David Byrne outside later on -- he's a very friendly and approachable man. It was a hell of a treat for a Talking Heads fan!
What a charmed life he leads. And this couldn't have been done any better. The sounds behind the video are ethereal and slightly creepy/beautiful. Nicely shot video, great questions, excellent descriptions by Mr. Byrne, and that pure curiosity vibe I used to get exploring old buildings as a kid.
Nice work!
@Ollie, thanks, we're fixing that! itunes should repopulate with the correct format within a few hours.
The "democratized" bit is too Harrison Bergeron, but the installation is so cool.
xeni tooootally hearts david byrne!
xeni tooootally hearts david byrne!
@Ollie, RSS feed is fixed now!
OneToday @7, I'd ask what you meant by that, but I'm afraid you'd tell me.
Thanks, Xeni. I got it from here before, but I can see it listed correctly on the feed now. Oh sweet evil technology!
JSZ @15,16: we heart Xeni; Xeni hearts Byrne; thus: we heart Byrne. It makes total mathemagical sense, my friend.
This is by far my favorite episode of BoingBoing TV -- and that includes the segments about deep frying cell phones and the steampunk treehouse that annoyed all the hippies at Burning Man.
I have to say, after watching this I really want Xeni and David to be the next Internets power couple. How can we make that happen? ;-)
Holy Awsomeness!
1. David Motherfreaking Byrne. I could just gush for hours about how life alteringly incredible his contributions to almost all aspects of modern culture are and how every time I read his words or watch him speak, I am touched by his humility and candor. I'll shut up now.
2. The installation. Very cool. He captured the essence of the feel of those big old buildings in an attempt to make an accessible musical exploration of the surfaces. Brilliant.
3. The building. I have pulled into and out of the ferry building next to it, maybe 300 times and have always wanted to see the inside. There's something... intriguing about it. It was only at the end of my time in NYC that I finally figured out what it was for and I'm glad to finally see inside.
4. Xeni tooootally hearts david byrne! And rightfully so.
Lovely installation, and video! I'd've loved to see the workings, though. Not sure why do a tight shot of DB yakking and pointing out something about some contraption if it's off camera.
Some props should go out to David Van Tieghem. He's been playing the city forever. Here's his (with Fitzgerald/Sanborn) Ear to the Ground 1979 performance video:
http://www.ubu.com/film/vantieghem_ear.html
@7 Don't bogart the bong.
Who in their right mind DOESN'T heart David Byrne.
Even if he is a "genius hog": http://tinyurl.com/6fstpd
Mr. Byrne is one of the true great ones in our humble, wobbly little universe.
This was a very special episode for all of us on the BBtv team, and a tremendous honor. We're glad you liked it, too.
This is my favorite BoingBoing TV so far. I've long been smitten with Xeni, only now to discover that Xeni is smitten with David. Thanks to both of you for sharing the experience.
I enjoyed the video! David Byrne did an awesome job with the building.
However, here's what I hope isn't a stupid question. I didn't hear him play tunes, and it isn't entirely clear to me that the keyboard is set up so that you could. What is the truth here, and are you supposed to expect to play tunes in this kind of music in the first place?
(I've long been smitten with Xeni too.)
@Dennis:
'Sup?
Not a stupid question at all!
Though we didn't include it in the video, Mr. Byrne did explain to us that yes, it is difficult to actually play traditional music or songs using this instrument. I don't believe that it's intended to play that type of music - rather, by taking away the element of a music tradition, Byrne levels the playing field for the public, the "democratizaton" he refers to in the interview. So really, the nontraditional element of the installation removes all expectations of what music should sound like and allows for experimentation. I don't wish to speak for Mr. Byrne, so I should add that this is my understanding/take on his work.
If you listen carefully to Byrne playing at the end of the first segment, you can actually make out a tune (and it's really pretty!), though it may be difficult to hear because of all the reverb from the pipes. I can hear it loud and clear, but then again, I was there at the time when he played and I've also heard it infinity number of times during edit!
Really glad you enjoyed the video, Dennis - thanks for taking the time to watch and write!
Dana Devonshire
Series Producer, Boing Boing tv
If nobody else is going to say it, I will.
I kept expecting x and db to press their fists together and say:
Wonder Twin Powers - Activate!
But that's just me.
When I used to wait tables I waited on David Byrne and his then-wife Adelle Lutz a few times. They were both genuinely nice people in real life too.
I had a chance to play the building last Friday. It was absolutely amazing. I just wish I had more time to sit there and really explore the sounds. We posted a review and photos from that day if anyone is interested >>> http://www.evolvehappy.com/2008/06/roberto-and-valeries-trip-to-big-apple.html
Now wheeeeeeere did I put that soldering iron ...
Thank you Xeni + crew, this was a really wonderful journey.
More!
Good article about Xeni. Thanks for sharing.
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