INSPIRATION.
COLLABORATION.
COMPLETION.
INSPIRATION
"A lone cello player practising in Westerpark inspired me while I was out running during lockdown, early 2021. I realised
how I missed live music, the energy of people making and enjoying it together. I wanted to create something enabling
people to make music together, to share a common goal and move towards it, no matter who they were or what they have."
— Bibi Bliekendaal, Lead Artist
The Tinkle Drum started as a barrel with a handle then turned into a giant drum that revolves when people walk together inside it, encouraging collaboration and movement. As the drum rotates, prongs mounted on the outer strike keys to make music. At night it lights up as each note is struck—powered by solar and the people turning the drum.
Nothing is needed to experience the work other than participation: gather others, step into the drum and take steps together. ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon is the default tune, but as it's re-programmable, people can make their own composition.
SUSTAINABILITY
We had two points of focus for 2022:
a) reduce art carbon transport emissions (for event-based art projects)
b) reduce embodied carbon with recycled art materials and efficient sourcing and human power!
To measure our emissions, the team collaborated with The Green Theme Camp at Burning Man, the Medimeidershaften organisers (Berlin) and the sustainability team from Kiwiburn (New Zealand's regional Burning Man Event). With a diverse crew from around the world, a large build, and a distant destination(!) we took all steps to minimise the impact of transport, shipping and materials. This included creating a modular design that allowed for a smaller prototype build in Amsterdam, made with local recycled materials.
PHILOSOPHY
In commercial society today there is this growing idea that music is created by the few and the fortunate. As the commercial, media, and popular music industries have become intertwined, the line between music as art and as commerce has blurred. This piece aims to challenge that.
"As a woman artist, creative, and DJ, I've been held back by expectations, biases, and perfectionism for years. Burning Man made me realise that creative success has nothing to do with fulfilling societal and cultural norms.
This piece is about art and music being for—and by—all of us. Music can be created by everyone, it's about sharing, participating and creating together with what we have."
MATERIALS
AND MECHANICS
We're always making a conscious effort to source sustainably. For a list of materials and estimated budget, click the link.
Drum base: 2x4 beams, bearings, steel axel.
Drum inside: Recycled pallet wood.
Drum outer: Recycled pallet wood, mesh/sheet metal (reclaimed if possible), recycled nitrous oxide canisters for pegs
Instrument keys: Secondhand lyra/glockenspiel parts mounted on wood, recycled plastic hammer and ply mechanisms, sheet-metal gramophones.
Instrument hammers: Recycled plastic glockenspiel hammers and percussion mallets with tyre rubber base pad to work like a kick drum when hit by the nos canister as the drum rotates.
Have an idea for or source of recycled materials?
Want to support future projects? You can.
