Zach Sokol at the Creator’s Project profiled Artist Maskull Lasserre’s new project Beautiful Dreamers. The project, a musical grenade, is part interactive sculpture, part sound art.
Each grenade is wound and set, and can only ever be “played” once—much like how a grenade can only explode once. “Music expands outwards from its source in compressive waves, just like detonated ordnance” he explained to The Creators Project over email. “Both possess the power to affect people at great distance.” But rather than releasing a surge of distortion or feedback (i.e. explosive music), his crafted bronze objects play “America The Beautiful” and “Beautiful Dreamer” by Katharine Lee Bates and Stephen Foster, respectively.
“The ephemeral quality of music is at the heart of this piece,” explained Lasserre. Just like music that’s played live, once the instruments stop vibrating, the sound is final. “Its poignancy rests with its vulnerability, its finality, but also its promise of beauty.” We are teased with an explosion, or something epic or climatic, but ultimately these sculptures—both in form, and what they release—are more delicate than violent.
This is an excellent piece of e-journalism. More and more often I find that the mainstream news outlets are forgetting what a true “Human Interest” story is. Bravissimo!