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An old steel water silo (eleven metres long, four metres in diameter) has been reinterpreted here by media artist and musician Pinter. It forms the basic structure of this sculpture. Eight integrated bass speakers transform the silo into a musical instrument. The low frequency ranges create pressure waves that make the sound not just audible but also physically palpable. The composition data is shown on an external monitor. As a converted readymade, this work points to the functional versatility of an object that comes from its specific physical conditions.
SUB/DC
Michael Pinter, 2003
Image Credits
Author
Günther Holler-Schuster
Location on map
Position 42
Owner
Österreichischer Skulpturenpark Privatstiftung; Sponsor: Medientrum, Schilcher & Söhne
Artist biography
Michael Pinter
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About the sculpture
The multimedial approach is characteristic of Martin Pinter’s artistic methodology. Pinter works both as a video artist (reMI) and a musician, and his work “SUB/DC” should also be seen against this media-artistic background. In its basic form, the work fulfils the criteria of a sculpture, particularly in the context of Minimal Art, which, in addition to reducing objects on a formal level, pointed out the formal similarity of works of art to functional, industrially produced objects.
The basic structure of this sculpture is a former steel water silo with a length of 11m and a diameter of 4m, which was removed from its original frame of reference and subjected to an entirely new contextualisation. Fitted with eight bass loudspeakers, the silo has become a musical instrument. Visitors have the possibility of modifying the sound structures. The deep frequency ranges produce pressure waves that not only make the sound audible but also palpable on a physical level. The composition data is visualised on an external monitor. In the sense of an advanced sculpture concept, the converted Ready Made can thus not only be registered on a visual level, but addresses several senses.
In his work “Box with the Sound of Its Own Making”, Robert Morris in 1961 pointed out the self-referentiality and the time dimension of works of art. Michael Pinter refers to the functional possibilities on the basis of the specific physical and existential dispositions of a piece. This plastic experience is not only imparted by the three-dimensional object in its materiality, but also by the acoustic structure of the work – the drasticness of the sound.
