Magic: Wanted & Found

Today I FINALLY had the lightbulb moment that I have been working toward for suspending the dang keys in the frame! I love the look of the piano wire that suspends the frame, but I really don't like the look of the wire that suspends the keys from the frame in my mini model.

Just a quick overview of the piece that I am continuing from last quarter:

Mini Model

My work typically uses the figure of the piano metaphorically, however I wont get into that since the technical explorations that are happening right now are far more interesting. In my paintings I try to reference three-dimensional elements through the use of optical devices, often defined by manipulating piano keys. For New Forms, I want to flip that by somehow referencing two-dimensional elements of design in three-dimensional form. Instead of using the canvas to elevate the form of the piano in a way that references reality, I wish to use a real piano to advance my painting by recalling two-dimensional maneuvers (in real reality).

I am doing this by engaging obvious visual cues, such as the use of a frame, or having the piano wire on the back of the frame much smaller than the wire on the front (exploiting principles of receding perspective). I am hoping that I may continue to conceptually deepen the piece by discovering more abstract allusions to two-dimensional design as I putter along. Unfortunately the technical problem-solving aspects have been demanding, and it seems challenging enough without advancing the concept.

this is what was happening at the end of fall - very boring

Tom has been telling me over and over that I need to just see what the thing does when it is hanging for real. I was putting it off because I wanted to first know how I was going to do it before I did it. I finally took his advice and just rigged it up - BAM! the solution arrived within the hour. With the biggest distraction annihilated, this project is fun again (two-dimensional problems are always fun because the rules of this world don't matter so much, but three-dimensional problems - meh).

Since last quarter, I have installed piano wire through the custom frame and equipped them with fasteners for easy mounting. Piano wire is ROUGH (but I cleaned up the bindings, Tom). I have sketched out ways to make adjusting the height a breeze via the mounting mechanism instead of adjusting where the wire is bound. I had them mounted to beams made to fit across two parallel walls, however I wanted to see what it was like hanging in a corner instead of in a passage. Shadows receive greater play, and certain technical devices are concealed if the viewer is unable to walk behind the work.

Best of all, using the corner orientation allows the keys to float.

 In mid air.

Without having to hang them from the frame.

Score.