Perpetual deliberation

WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Kevin Paul McNiff II (Creator)
Institution
Western Carolina University (WCU )
Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
Advisor
Heather Mae Erickson

Abstract: Perpetual Deliberation consists of three resonating chambers aligned along a linearaxis. Two of the three forms (the clay bell and the suikinkutsu) are ceramic, while thesecond bell is metal. The idea for the work began around giving form to the push andpull between the traditional modes of making that have influenced me, and modernmethods of fabrication that blur the boundaries between authorship and collectiveproduction. The installation’s linear design emphasizes the polarity between thesemodes and the need to find balance between these extremes. Its axial orientation drawsthe participant from the impersonality of the steel bell’s industrial fabrication, to thecontinuous sounds of the water harp, to the warmth of the ceramic bell with its woodensupport (Figure 1). The continuous sound from the water harp always centers theviewer, even with the perpetual ringing of the bells at the extremities of the work. Thework places the participant in an environment that promotes reflection on finding andholding onto a sense of balance within everyday life.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 2015
Keywords
ceramic, installation, Meditative space, sculpture, sound scape
Subjects
Sound installations (Art)
Percussion and harp music
Musical perception
Intermediality
Bells
Harp

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