Theremin Pendulum
1st exhibition: 5th Parallel Gallery, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, 2008
A theremin antenna made of flexible wire is mechanized so that it swings spastically as a chaotic pendulum. This causes the theremin to change pitch according to the swinging motion of the pendulum. The sound produced is multiplied by a delay system so that we hear the sound of 8 theremins at the same time. This is mixed automatically by a computer mixing program (MAX/MSP), and is then broadcast into the gallery. Also attached to the end of the antenna pendulum is an led light that swings with the antenna, so that when you enter the darkened gallery all you see is a light moving in a seemingly unpredictable pattern that mirrors the frequency wave changes in the theremin.
©Gordon Monahan 2008
photos 1-4 by Charles Fox, photo 5 by Flora Fencl, photos 6+7 by Gordon Monahan
