Jamaican DIY culture inspires sound sculpture
December 12th, 2011 | 
Author: Red Stripe gathered up thousands and thousands of their iconic beer cans at this Years Notting Hill Carnival and, instead of throwing them away, they created something unique and interactive: a speaker. The creation of this amazing sound sculpture can be found at in great video, the first in series called “Make with a Red Stripe“.
This 2.5 metre sculpture is made of thousands of cans tightly packed together and tied to a wooden frame. Large funnels were added to amplify and project the sound. Its creator, sound artist Yuri Suzuki, was inspired by the sound systems he had seen in Jamaica. These DIY homemade systems were created from a variety of discarded materials. Yuri Suzuki decided to add to his portfolio of upcycling sculptures and create this fascinating piece.
Jamaican reggae singer and songwriter Gappy Ranks and DJ Al Fingers collaborated on a piece of improvised music to test the system. DJ Al Fingers hooked up his equipment to the sound system and created a series of electronic beats and synthesizer melodies. Gappy sang into a Red Stripe can microphone. They improvised for several minutes, satisfied with the tone the speaker was able to produce.
A launch party was held in the Village Underground, featuring artists such as Ben UFO and MC Chunky. Their reggae influenced dub step tunes thrilled the crowd through this incredible sound sculpture. Stay tuned for more great videos in this series.
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