Art print: Instruments in Things - Things in Instruments!
The festival exhibition during Førdefestivalen 2015 was by our regular designer Piotr Pucylo . The title was Instruments in Things - Things in Instruments! and the exhibition was in the park at Festplassen during the entire festival and well into the autumn. In addition, each motif was printed in 20 copies in A3. The prints are numbered and signed.
HERE you can download a PDF with the artist's explanations about each individual instrument.
Click on the link under each motif to order. You can pay with VIPPS - Førdefestivalen #526974 - or we will send you an invoice. If you want to order several motifs together, you can also send an email
Price per piece: NOK 100 + possibly postage.
AXE
The axe is inspired by a simple fiddle from the Far and Middle East. The most popular instrument of this type is probably the Chinese fiddle ERHU. It has only two strings, with a bow placed between them, rather than above. Despite its simple construction, the fiddle creates a beautiful, delicate and varied sound. In China, the ERHU is considered a national instrument on a par with the European violin.
FOOTBALL
Inspired by a type of Persian fiddle with a spike called the KAMANCHEH, a small stringed instrument with a long neck and a round resonance chamber made of a calabash (bottle gourd), which is covered in stretched leather, with a "chair" that lifts the strings. Depending on the player's posture, the instrument rests either in the lap or on the floor. The spike at the bottom makes it easy to turn the instrument while playing. This allows the musician to perform intricate movements with the bow. Similar instruments are found in most countries in Central Asia and in some countries in Southeast Asia.
GLASS
The glass is inspired by the Thai drum THON. Its characteristic shape is reminiscent of a wine glass (goblet). In fact, there is a whole family of such drums in Asia, Africa and Europe that are called goblet drums. THON is often played together with a frame drum called RAMMANA. The sound is especially well known in classical Thai music. The instrument is made of wood, clay or metal, and makes a low, humming sound. A ring of rubber, soot and metal shavings is often placed on the drumhead to produce a deeper sound.
BANANAS
Banana is inspired by a curved harp from Uganda, called ENNANGA. There are similar harps in other African countries, as well as in Austen. This is probably one of our oldest stringed instruments, and probably originates from a music box. The oldest ones can be found in drawings from ancient Egypt. Extreme inspiration from Andy Warhol's most famous pop-art works – the album cover for The Velvet Underground and Nico from 1967.
CLOCK
The bell is inspired by the RIQ and other types of frame drums with small bells. The drums originate from the Middle East, but today you can find the same type all over the world. The RIQ is a small drum with a frame, traditionally a wooden frame covered with a thin fish skin. The drum has five pairs of cymbals in small slots cut out of the frame, which are often richly decorated with elements of mother of pearl or colorful woods. The small instrument is central to classical Arabic and Turkish music, and surprises with a very rich sound.
CIGARETTE
The cigarette is inspired by the ZAMPOÑA, a pan flute from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. The flute is made of reeds that are put together. The sound is produced when you blow on the upper edge of the instrument. The pipes are closed at the bottom and do not have finger holes. These instruments have been known for over 2000 years. They are usually made of clay, stone, wood, metal or reed, and are found in many parts of the world and countries, such as Romania, Japan and the Solomon Islands. According to an ancient myth, the ancient god Pan fell in love with one of his nymphs. When she tried to escape from him, the patron goddess turned her into reeds that Pan then used to make the very first flute. He played the flute to find solace in music.
CHEESE
The cheese is from PSALTER, a zither instrument that we have known since the Middle Ages. Today, most zithers are rectangular or trapezoidal in shape, but in the past they were often shaped like a triangle.
Sitar instruments came to Europe from the Middle East in the 11th century. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the instruments resembled a pig's head or a wing. The shape they have today dates back to around 1500.
In Scandinavia, we find relatives of these instruments in the Norwegian LANGELEIKEN and the Swedish HUMMEL, which uses ribbons under some of the strings, and the Icelandic LANGSPIL, which is played with a bow.
SCREWDRIVER
The screw iron is inspired by the DUDUK, one of the most famous instruments from Armenia, with a beautiful, delicate, warm and at the same time mournful sound. The DUDUK is a type of oboe. The instrument body is made of apricot trees that have matured over 25-30 years, and it has finger holes. The most important part is a double reed made of giant reed. The playing technique is extremely sophisticated. The musician does not only use his fingers to change the tone, volume, rhythm and melody, he also uses the throat muscles, tongue and lips, combined with a circular breathing technique. Some sources claim that the DUDUK has been known for 1500 years, others for up to 3000 years.
RADIATOR - SALE
The radiator is inspired by the accordion, more specifically, the button accordion, the most sophisticated version of the instrument. Together with the harmonica, the accordion belongs to the group of instruments with free reeds, and has been known since the 19th century. All have a board with keys or buttons on both sides, and a central part, bellows, which pumps air over the metal reeds. The simplest ones have only a few buttons or keys, but the more professional ones are very complicated. In Poland, where the artist comes from, radiator is a common term for accordion, so the association was made.
PEAR
The pear is inspired by the HULUSI, a simple form of harmonica from China. The form is common among the ethnic minorities of the Yunnan province. The name is a fusion of two Chinese words: Hulu – which is a gourd, and si, which is silk. The simple instrument has a mouthpiece that you blow into, a resonant chamber, usually made of gourd, and flutes. As with other harmonicas, each flute has a reed (reed). The player blows into the chamber, creating melodies by covering holes in the flutes.
FISH SALE
The fish is inspired by the BIWA, a Japanese lute with a short neck. The instrument is designed in a classic teardrop shape with four silk strings that are plucked with a large wooden plectrum. The BIWA is mostly used to accompany classical singing and the recitation of Buddhist verses. In Japan, it is one of the most popular stringed instruments. It has existed for almost 2000 years and probably originates from the Chinese lute PIPA.
CHAIR
The chair is a work inspired by lyres. Despite the fact that the lyre was once very popular, lyres are today only used in certain parts of Africa and Siberia. The most interesting instruments come from Ethiopia, where we find two variants: the BAGANA, with a square resonance chamber, and which is used by the court and the clergy, and the KRAR, with a round resonance chamber – a common folk lyre.
HEART
The heart is inspired by the Scottish bagpipes, and other bagpipes that are used almost all over the world. The most important part of the instrument is the bag - the heart - which pumps air to the pipes and the chanter. Depending on the type of bagpipe, the bag is filled in two ways, either by blowing air into the pipe, or by pumping air into the bellows that lies under one of the player's arms. Bagpipes have been known since Roman times.
HOURGLASS
The hourglass is inspired by the Japanese drum TSUZUMI. Just like with goblet drums, the shape of the drum gives us certain associations; TSUZUMI belongs to the group of hourglass drums. The head is usually made of cherry wood, and often has beautiful carved and lacquered decorations. The two drum heads are stretched over metal frames and attached to the head with strings. The tight strings and the shape of the drum allow the musician to regulate the tension of the head, and change the pitch of the drum while playing.
LEAF
The blade is inspired by a German STREICHZITHER, or bow-sitter. The shape it has today, came about in the 19th century. The instruments are found in many countries, but it is only in Germany that they have been given this exact shape. The fingerboard with strings, which is typical of this instrument, is quite rare in other sitar instruments. Sitars usually have many strings, but here there are only four. Equipping the sitar with strings made it possible to reduce the number of strings, which saves the musician a lot of trouble when tuning the instrument.
SHELL
The shell is inspired by the CASTANJET, a common and well-known percussion instrument from Spain and flamenco music. The instrument is made up of two concave shells that are tied together with a string on one side. The shells are usually made of wood, but far back in time, ivory was also used. The musician places the shells in his hand and creates the characteristic sound by striking them against each other.
WATERING CAN
The water jug is inspired by the Indian EKTARA, a plucked instrument with only one string. The instrument is used by wandering poets from Bengal, the so-called Bauls, but is also found in other parts of India under names such as GOPICHAND, GOPIANTRA or KHAMAK. The EKTARA is made of bamboo. One end is split and attached to a resonance chamber made of wood or gourd that is divided in two. At the bottom is a membrane made of animal skin. The string goes through the skin and is attached with a pearl. Different pitches are produced by squeezing the bamboo neck and thus tightening or loosening the string.
WHEEL
The wheel is inspired by a Turkish CÜMBÜS, a modern instrument that was constructed in the 1930s. The history of how the instrument originated is too long to include here, but in short it has to do with Atatürk, the father of modern Turkey, Zeynel Abadin's love of innovation, and the popularity of the BANJO in Turkey at that time. CÜMBÜS combines tradition with modernity and East with West. The instrument is easy to modify, the neck can be removed and replaced with longer or shorter types of neck, with or without frets. CÜMBÜS can be used as a modern version of the classic lute OUD, or the long-necked lutes SAZ, BAGLAMA or TANBUR.
SMARTPHONE
The smartphone is inspired by the MBIRA from Zimbabwe – an instrument from the lamellophone family. It is played by strumming with the thumbs on thin metal or reed rods. The rods are attached to a small wooden box that acts as a resonance chamber. The other end of the rods is loose, and vibrates freely when plucked or plucked. Such lamellophone instruments are found in many African countries, and they are also known by names such as SANZA or KALIMBA.
SHOVEL
The spade is inspired by the DOMBRA – a long-necked lute from Kazakhstan, and other lutes of the same type: SAZ and BAGLAMA from Turkey, Balkan TAMBURA, Uzbek TANBUR, Greek BOUZOUKI and DUTAR from Tajikistan. All of these instruments have a small resonance chamber and a long neck with fixed or movable strings (often made of animal intestines). Some lutes have drone strings or resonance strings in addition to the upper strings.
SPEAKERS
The speaker is inspired by the GONG – a metal plate that is struck with a mallet. This is common throughout Southeast Asia and has been known since 500 BC. Gongs are made of different types of metal: brass, bronze or iron. Size and shape can vary, but round is the most common. Gongs were first used in temples, but were gradually also used in other contexts. What was originally a folk instrument in Asia, is now also used by Western symphony orchestras.
TYPEWRITER - SALE
The typewriter is inspired by the hurdy-gurdy, an instrument known in Europe since the Middle Ages. In short, the hurdy-gurdy is a kind of mechanical fiddle. The sound is created by the musician turning a wheel that rubs over the strings. The pitch is determined by a register or fingerboard where the musician holds the string in a specific place. The hurdy-gurdy thus represents the group of mechanical instruments.
SPOON
The spoon is inspired by the GUEMBRI, a small lute from Morocco. The name varies from place to place. GUEMBRI is often used for the larger bass lute common in the Gnawa culture, but here a smaller type has been chosen. It is a simple instrument with pear-shaped chambers covered with goat or camel skin. A neck with tuning screws extends through the entire chamber. The GUEMBRI has three gut strings, and is unfretted. The musician strikes the skin and plucks the strings at the same time, producing a strong, percussive sound. In Mali there is a similar instrument, called the NGONI.
VASE
The vase is inspired by SHEKERE, an African percussion instrument. It is a "rattle instrument", made from a large gourd threaded into a net of pearls, seeds or shells. The musician shakes the instrument rhythmically, or scrapes the beads against the calabash. In Nigeria, there is a style of playing where the SHEKER is thrown into the air, and caught again - in a certain rhythm. Similar instruments are also found in Cuba and Brazil.