Talking Heads Frontman Turns Building Is An Instrument

Posted over 3 years ago
Ex-Talking Heads mainman David Byrne plans to turn a landmark building in Manhattan into a giant musical instrument.State officials allowed Byrne to create a temporary installation in the Great Hall of the Battery Maritime Building, which is next to the Whitehall Ferry Terminal.??Battery Maritime Building, New York City??The "Playing the Building" art installation centers on the organ, which sprouts colorful tubes that lead to metal beams, columns, pipes, electrical conduits and other elements of the building. Pressing a key triggers different sounds throughout, such as clanking hammers on pipes or a motor vibrating against ceiling beams.??Play a building!??"When people sit down they start looking around and noticing that when they play, different things start happening around the space," Byrne said of his creation."It's really that moment when people just see that they're doing it themselves, that's a really wonderful moment. You can see it in people's faces," the artist-musician said while clanging and high-pitched sounds filled the air."The installation, which originally was on display in Stockholm a few years ago, will be in New York until August 10.Byrne's official site:http://www.davidbyrne.com/

Comments (9)

  1. Scribes4life says THAT is insane (in a fantastically genuinely great way)
    Permalink posted 06/03/2008
  2. Scotch says Hey, he's doing what Wurlitzer did a century ago! :P
    Permalink posted 06/03/2008
  3. Sam The Artist says he would... this reminds me of that family guy episode when peter turns his house into a puppet. "FEED ME A TOOL SHED!"
    Permalink posted 06/03/2008
  4. KoriLinc says I LOVE stuff like this. My first album we had all kinds of recorded reverb from various places in the world and mixed it in!
    Permalink posted 06/03/2008
  5. BecauseYouAreHere says Okay, can we still call Byrne the Talking Heads frontman since he has stated more than once that hell would freeze over before he would ever reunite with the band? Love the building idea though!
    Permalink posted 06/03/2008
  6. Jonh Ingham says Yeah, can't we go back to "David Byrne: Rennaissance Man"? That was the Time cover tag that started the whole rift in the band. But it is appropriate.
    Permalink posted 06/04/2008
  7. ardyjormkiv says coooool.
    Permalink posted 06/04/2008
  8. Doomsayer2001 says That is freakin cool!!
    Permalink posted 06/06/2008
  9. Lighter Dusk says Oh my many crazy gods...I want to go play in this thing so bad...how can I get there? Will they let me bring recording equipment?? Will he build one out of my house??? This is so cool, I totally want to live in a house like this if I grow up... ...Seriously, no snark...this is the coolest idea I've heard since my all robot band idea (still waiting for The Asimo 5 by the way). -Dusk
    Permalink posted 06/07/2008

Comment on this Post

Login using email and password below.

Forgot Password?

OR login using Facebook Connect

Connect

Don't have an account?
Join MOG. It's Free!

© 2006-2012 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved