Gramophone

留聲機, 2017

3D Printed Nylon



Gramophone is an exploration of blending the notions of sound, Wunderkammer, Rococo and technology in a contemporary artistic context.

Gramophones were invented in the late 19th century by Thomas Edison, which were devices for recording and reproducing sounds. Composers and artists were fascinated by this invention, as they could collect and manipulate any sound into their own works. Therefore, gramophones are like Wunderkammers, i.e. cabinets of curiosities that hold unusual sounds, which also give inspiration to creative works.

At around the same time of the rise of Wunderkammer, the Rococo, an art style began its influence in European art. Extravagant embellishments could be easily found in Rococo art sketches, yet were seldom realized due to the limitation of knowledge and technology.  Now, 3D printing technology enables us to bring those sketches into physical, tangible and materialized forms. Would the Rococo artists achieve more if they acquire the 3D printing technology?

The work looks back the history of art, music, and science, and represents the rhapsodies on how these areas would have blended and interfered if they were present in the same era.



Mark