Symphony for 54 Shoes (Distant Echoes)

Ingrid Bachmann
September 9 – October 6, 2006
Opening Reception:
Saturday September 9 at 8:00 pm

Introduction

Symphony for 52 Shoes is a kinetic artwork that involves 27 pairs of shoes collected from a variety of second hand and thrift stores. Each shoe has a toe and heel tap used in tap dancing attached to it. The shoes move or dance independently of each other. The mechanical motion of tapping is created using solenoids (tubular magnetic sensors) that move up and down when activated by a switch. Each switch, 52 in total, is controlled by a microcontroller and software that activates the sequence of the tapping of the shoes.

This project continues my exploration of non-screen based computer technology to create works that interact with, confront and/or incorporate the physical world. I try to bring the complexity of the real world and experience into the digital experience, to complicate the relations between the virtual and material realms, to create works that situate themselves in the world in rich sensory, tactile and sonic ways.

I am interested in the idea of tender, even pathetic, technology, to use technology for ends that are not necessarily productive in the usual sense of the word.

— Ingrid Bachmann

Photo credit: Wojtek Gwiaz