The Pipe Factory
Such is the delicacy of Japanese artist Yuko Mohri’s work that it is often activated by only the tiniest vibrations or movements around the installations, which involve elements of sound, sculpture and kinetics. In this new work, the sounds of the three channel video installation were picked up by microphones connected to a MIDI self-playing piano, which converted them into new compositions, played back through the piano, as if by an invisible hand.
Mohri’s work is often location- and event-specific. Here, pre-recordings met chance encounters involving whoever might have visited on a given day. In this way there is a muffled echo of the pioneering work of John Cage: the inclusion of the piano reminds us of Cage’s most infamous work, 4 ́33”, in which the pianist plays nothing and the sound of the audience comprises the music.
Supported by Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Henry Moore Foundation, Friends of The Pipe Factory, Glasgow and Culture & Business Fund Scotland