Stephan Schulz
Drumline | 2007 | Ongoing | Outdoor Sculptural Intervention | Germany
Stephan Schulz is a multi disciplinary artist from Berlin who lives and works in Montreal, Canada. He received his MFA in Media Arts from NSCAD-University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His work uses electronic media to intervene into public space by combining elements of performance, sculpture and social interaction. His work has been shown in Germany, Canada and Columbia.
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Drumline is an outdoor, sculptural intervention using a micro-controller and custom made electronics to activate three identical snare drums in tandem with the flow of traffic. The shiny chrome snare drums are hung from flag pole holders on a building’s façade. Each drum is equipped with a motorized drumstick. Three rubber hoses associated with each drum are laid out across the street and its sidewalk, perpendicular to the stream of traffic. The rubber hoses are the same that city planners use to count traffic. By stepping or driving across a hose the inside pressure changes. A pressure sensor converts this tactile input into an electrical signal and triggers the corresponding snare drum to receive a hit from the drumstick. A strong motor turns for a short interval and slams the drumstick onto the drum’s skin.
In Drumline pedestrians and car drivers involuntarily take part in the creation of outdoor drum rhythms. These rhythms are not pre-assembled but are a direct translation of the movements taking place on the street.
While sampling the rhythm of the street the electronics also quantify the participation on the street. After 99 cars drive by a direct link to the interior part of the exhibition will be established. At this point the drumming action from inside the gallery will be relayed to the three snare drums outside.
