Nawon Choi— Looking Outward 04

Cycling Wheel: The Orchestra

This performance/installation caught my attention because of the way the artists transformed a non-traditional medium (bicycle wheels and lights) into a work of visual and sonic art.

The artists noted that they took inspiration from Marcel Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel, an installation piece that originally was made in 1913. I appreciate the way the artists reimagined this piece to be one that is interactive and dynamic. They transformed the mechanics of the wheel to control the light and sound, turning the bicycle wheel into a performative instrument.

I love the way that the artists incorporated both audio and visual elements into this piece and carefully crafted their performance/installation to highlight both elements. The performance was held at night, with the addition of a smoke machine to enhance the visual experience and also creating stunning photographs and documentation.

According to this article, some of the technical aspects of this installation include, a tailor-made control panel software that was created with an open-source programming language called “Processing” that is used to create animations and interactions. It also has three different units that control the music, light beams, and LED strips.

Below is a video of the performance—