evolved & beyond Terrain Instruments

Commemorative world wide collaboration project on Baffin Island, Canada (in progress transportation and ecological issues) New Music at U. O. I

 

photographs by Gloria DeFilipps Brush

Wright State University Ohio US exhibition content: ; later & 2009return home

 

 

Splayed "bicycle spoke wires"over a vacant horse pasture below our small barn, 22 gauge galvanized steel strands anchored to a tree radiate out and are tied to wooden fence posts to the right and left of center. (ladder is seen leaning against the tree)

1970s facsimilie Telecopier (fax) manufactured by 3M by which the gery scale of the umage was read and translated into the audible range of frequencies-- and from which an image was created by a needle correspondingly scratching into an off-white coated paper having a carbon base. ((These needles gouged out a continuous grouve, tracking as in LP or 45rpm recordings; however, this recording medium is plastic.))

fax sonogram: arrow indicates an isolated snow flake against backgound noise .

A cassete has played back line-scanned sounds-in audio range- into the Facsimilie Telecopier: band 1 telephone talk, 2 rain drops, 3 telephone dial tone, 4 wind, 5 dial tone, 6 wind at higher volume, 7 sine wave. (In this B&W 8 x 11 inch sonogram a steel stylus actually recorded a series of grooves into the carbon-coated paper.)

Bands over time depicting sound-only from three telephone sources joined in a AT&T landline conference call.)

The recorder playback syncing of these shown Faxes was not possible and resulted in imaging shifts. return home

 

Terrain playings of landscape plants &insects

This focusable parabola, using a scrapped camera tripod, was able to position the dynamic microphone at the precise sounding position. Recording challenges, in daytime and nightime included the skimming slightly ove theplane of crickets, tops of prairie grasses, red clover and wheat and corn stalk tasles.

--in-the-landscape-acrylic-paintings . (Picts:OXBOW t-way radio-instructed , lake Michigan shoreline paintings)

Coralvillle, Iowa barn and garage; barn painted on right (6 yards of cotton canvas)

(picts fr/Lake Michigan) Continuing from earlier directed AM radio-transmitted Lake Michigan on- shore paintings, I've updated the process to include altering human made objects. In Iowa I also used the two-way radio to direct fast drying acrylic paints to alter the appearance of a specific object on/in the landscape. In Coralville I decided to alter the barns physical presence. Descriptive tape recorded comments and reactions spoken by myself prior to painting were played back and used to influence those colors and forms. To be successful, the painting would have to totally transform the barn-visually- and yet be re-fited into the environment and remain a compatible "man made structure."
I departed acrylic painting media and did not get to cover the roof and other walls. From this aborted experience, I could see that I would be somewhat successful- were I to continue- and did not finish. I had more pressing interests. Our only daughter, Sanna was born. Gloria's teaching quests. Our one acre farm. The challenges in my evolving soundwork constructions offered challenges and all this was shared my U o I owa City, Fine Art classes.

University of Iowa, Iowa City Art Department

snowflake project pdf

Multimedia class project: create a painting-like object covered with 3D objects that when resisting wind would create sounds during flight time...FM transmitters aboard relayed these sounds to radios lining both shores

RIVERHARPS scroll down

University of Iowa President Willard L. ('Sandy') Boyd wrote a 1973 letter to Leif in the Art and Art History Department, that... "I have always wanted to see a Riverharps on the Iowa River." The President was referring to the Professor Brush Iowa Riverharps Proposal then under consideration by the Iowa Campus Planning Commission. This was enthusiastically welcomed by those in UI Departments Guy Hassler, Physical Plant Engineering, Professor Kwan Rim, Mechanics and Hydraulics, Professors Dong Chyung and Norbert Malik Electrical Engineering, Don Enemark, Physics and Astronomy, Lowel Cross, Assistant Music Professor, Jerry Weeg, Lindquist Computer Center,and several Art Department supporting Faculty. The project only reached the environmental impact stage thanks a to Graduate College grant.

Sunday, February 8, 2009 9:03 AM -0600

Dear leif,
Thank you for reminding me of the wonderful "riverharps". As you know, "the river" did us in this past spring, but the arts carry on in temporary space.Congratulations on the creative career you have had with "sound".I am still teaching full time focusing on nonprofit organizations and cultural property/heritage. I am happy you too remain so actively engaged on the internet with your sound students.Best wishes and thank you for remembering me and UI.

Sandy

RIVERHARPS Iowa City Transit Article

Iowa City Press-Citizen article by writer David Stamps (pdf) UOI archive papers

a/or pdf

West looking view of Iowa River with prominent residence hall and for alum visitors

Detail of a Bosch painted detail where, from my imagination, existed as a naturally formed hybrid treehouse. The appended and drooping escape hatch was for exiting quietly. A boat to a favorite stream awaits without. The ladder could be pulled in for restfull dreamtime.

 

The East to West riverharps parallel and floats beneath this articulated and inflatable barge- modeled after Ivory bars on the Chicago River.

Detailing the structural forms including the ((not in their final forms (below) and part of the proposed construction for the opposing banks of the Iowa City River East (leif BRUSH) and West bank (after Hieronymus Bosch's treehouse w/central ladder in this particular "Earthly Delights panel)). The harps final "skins"-as in the Statue of Liberty statue-would have had bulbous copper sheathing which shrouded the parallel steel supporting beams.

 

This Terrain Instrument "sound sculpture's"* initial design and concepts were lauded by then University of Iowa President and the some members of departments including computing, physics and engineering. Art unanimously abstained. Though the river flowed closest to the liberal arts school, they hosted only the approved Graduate College feasibility study and other paperwork flows. Students who would have signed up in advance could accompany their instructor and were both assured privacy by using a retractable jute ladder. The then developing Iowa City Center for the Arts staff were to have planned events around an accompanying moored barge (shown above) would have been tied up beneath the RiverHarps and nearby Clapp Auditorium belown (looking N.E.)
* During the conceptual and pre-planning aspects this soundwork segued into my Terrain Instrument series of projects-in-the-landscape and was coincidental with an interest in Salvatore Martirano's Constructions. return home

 

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including the Johnson County thuders playings

 

 

continues