Frozen records
Last Friday and Saturday at Tesla: Claudia Märzendorfers Frozen Records. Frozen Records are made of ice. They are moulds of Vinyl singles. Each frozen record plays music for about 10 min. One can play a record usually only twice then the ice is getting too warm, i.e. the records looses its form and can’t function anymore as a medium. The water from the ice runs down the record player and one can only step into the rests.
The Viennese musician Nik Hummer has composed various pieces with Trautonium for the frozen records. This is what I heard, when I went to Tesla to hear and to see the frozen records. It was just impressing to hear the music varying with the melting ice. Claudia Märzendorfer said, that there is also music with other instruments. And there are other compositions for the frozen records. Each mould has its own music and dynamics. The music is there in the very second, it is changing constantly until one has to switch to a new record, i.e. a new medium for another transient music.
-update 29.12.2012- some later similar projects:
– by Katie Paterson
– by Swedish band “Shout out louds”
April 30th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
that is so very cool have you thought of puting the player in a freezer to see if it will work longer? i am in awe of this idea.
May 3rd, 2007 at 9:53 am
Hi Dave,
interesting question, but I didnt ask Claudia Märzendorfer about that. I guess the fast melting is intended. and a somewhat open problem (?) with your idea is that either you have to sit in a freezer to listen to the music or you have to listen to the music through the thick walls of a freezer (If you keep the boxes inside)…:)
September 18th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
My hat is off, and tonight my honorary beer will be… on ice.
After reading this, will I ever be able to stop thinking about how sounds change as the medium melts…?? No, I doubt it. Not unless I’m ever lucky enough to witness it with my own ears.
Top, mad, work!