We’re building an automaton orchestra!

Over four workshop sessions we will use found materials, electric motors and microcontrollers to construct an automaton orchestra in the GLASHAUS PRENZLAU. In workshops at the Berlin Haus der Statistik (House of Statistics), two additional motorised sound sculptures will be created.

In early 2021, while still in the midst of lockdowns and states of isolation, came the idea of sound devices that can be played together on the internet (inspired by the oeuvre of the artist Zimoun), and a chorus-playable machine orchestra, the Pandharmonium, emerged.

It turns out that we can realise part of the project in the GLASHAUS PRENZLAU – a former car dealership whose transformation into a hub for art, culture and education, was partly initiated by S27 – Art and Education. A lucky coincidence: 6000 square meters of playground full of tools, hydraulic platforms, spare parts, scrap materials, tin cans and old heavy duty shelves. The latter are gradually becoming the preferred resource and source of sound for our Pandharmonium.

Building a sound apparatus with microcontrollers means getting creative with analogue processes but also offers a great first glimpse into the world of codes, bits and bytes. Our noise machines and music sculptures can be controlled through our website (pandharmonium.net) and was premiered on September 5, 2021 in Berlin, in Prenzlau, and online as part of the Festival für selbstgebaute Musik (‘festival for self-made music’).

Further constructing workshops and explorations into the sound realms of our analogue environment will follow in Berlin, in order to enrich these important experiences. Together with Selbstgebaute Musik, we design and build more instruments and sound arrangements that alleviate the distance to the playing principle. Sven and Anna from Dance_Lab27 are developing a performance with us and bringing us in motion with the instruments.