Heartbeat Carillon interactive installation,

David Parker's interactive installation "Heartbeat Carillon" uses visitors' pulse to play five transparent carillons. As each individual has heartbeat no matter what s/he looks like and what the person thinks, this common factor all we have creates music of harmony. This live sound ensemble meditates the participants and melts down the distinction between with and without disabilities. by Byeong Sam Jeon

Five steel arcs rise from the floor to meet the touch of visitors. A tower of five glass bells stands nearby. At the peak of each arc are 2 brass bands. A person touches the brass bands with each hand, and a glass bell sounds until the person breaks contact. The brass bands take a real-time heart rate reading. One person’s heartbeat rings one bell; two people’s hearts ring two bells. There are five bells for up to five people, each with a slightly different tone. The more participants, the more rich and complex are the sounds.

I want this work to bring people together by illuminating the fundamentals that we all share. The heart’s energy as sound is a celebration of life, above all. This sound projects out of the body into the world, like a wish, or a rousing call to action. The bell also marks the unstoppable advance of time, and raises the alarm that the end is near for everyone. Even as these peals remind us of our shared physical fragility and the precious brevity of our lives, they also ring with the potential that we each have to effect change in the world. They create “instant community,” as people hear that their lives are in dialogue, though they may imagine themselves to be complete strangers. If the work can bring the participant to reflect on these or other questions, then I will regard it as successful.

Biography:

David A. Parker wants his art to provide expansive experiences to others. Based in Chicago, he works across media, including sculpture, photography, video and interactive installation. He holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and has exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Betty Rymer Gallery in Chicago, Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and elsewhere. He is represented by Kasia Kay Art Projects.