Five wooden structures, each eight feet tall, arranged in a circle. Hanging from each structure, as is suspended in the air, are four to six metal pipes. Each structure has a large rubber hammer, which serves as a mallet. As the pipes are very large, they produce a deep and very sustained sound when stricken with the mallets. As the frequencies produced by the pipes are very low, the user can often feel the vibrations. Because of a phenomenon called “acoustic beats”, the sounds from different pipes interact to create strange sound patterns. 

In spite of being composed of five structures, GDMI is, as indicated by its name, one single instrument, and it is meant to be played in community. Players are encouraged to collaborate in the sound making experience. This means that players should actively engage in listening to one another and give one another sound space, and at the same time be loud enough so their contributions can be clearly heard.

GDMI is tuned to an unusual but interesting musical scale. Each structure contributes a few notes to it. Each structure’s notes are chosen so their sound is interesting in itself. This way, GDMI seeks to emulate, and perhaps inspire, a harmonious society, in which each individual has a distinct personality, and all personalities contribute to the beauty and character of the collective.

An overarching goal of my work is to generate experiences in which the public, even people that never made music, can enjoy sound and sound-making. GDMI pursues that goal in several ways:

1) The structures do not look like typical musical instruments, therefore there are no expectations as to how they should sound like or how they should be played.

2) The hammers invite hammering.

3) The sound of each pipe is unusual, beautiful, deep, and long, and the sounds of many pipes interact creating strange sound patterns.

4) The collective aspect invites players to… play.

5) The musical scale is chosen so not a single structure, not the collective, can play familiar songs. Instead, the collective sound has a strange and vaguely recognizable flavor.

6) GDMI’s sound resembles no other musical instrument. Because the frequencies are so low, the sound-onsets so soft, and the sustained so long, the user  feels no pressure to play fast, and has time to savour each note.

The idea to create this type of collective playing experience is inspired in my cognitive science work relating to Balinese gamelan music. Unlike western orchestras where there is a strong emphasis on individual virtuosos, Balinese music prizes above all synchronicity and collaboration. GDMI is not only meant to be beautiful to play, but also interesting to see. The aesthetics are inspired in German expresionism’s imaginary architecture, with oblique posts distorting and accentuating our sense of perspective. This work was presented at YouTopia art festival, for which it received an art-grant, and it was featured in the San Diego Reader.