SEX, DRUGS, & RACHMANINOFF

My contribution to the Perceptual Playground exhibition was a self-reflexive art piece entitled Sex, Drugs, and Rachmaninoff which explored the naive point of view of a young cellist in an adult orchestra.

The orchestra was comprised of hand-crafted clay musicians holding "instruments" made from found objects which represent the mature professional setting as well as the dark side of fine arts. While many of the tiny clay musicians held cigarette butts, condoms, beer bottle caps, wine corks, and mini liquor bottles, some figurines held burnt candles to represent the lack of vices but unavoidable burnout that accompanies intensive arts.

My little orchestra sat within a black box stage with the lid open to reveal the orchestra's secrets. The entire model was surrounded by the contents of my music bag - archival objects - and accompanied by the recorded soundscape of the St Andrews Symphony tuning.