Strange singing wires lash downtown city square

Posted by Rob Beschizza, July 15, 2008 10:30 AM | permalink

Described as an interactive music installation, Grisha Coleman's Reach, Robot comprises dozens of blue lines strung over PPG Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh. Continually sensing the movement of passers-by, the network is hooked up to a sound system concealed in the plaza's central obelisk.

At a level just subtle enough to register, ambient chimes murmur beneath the hubbub of one of America's busiest town squares.

Here's a short clip of the audio, and Coleman explaining the work...

The thought crossed my mind that when the robots rise, they could take out hundreds of meat units simply by lowering these cables a couple of feet and suddenly pulling them taut across the plaza. ShishifwiwiwiwishIINGGGGG. Splutchsplutchlutch.

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Discussion

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#1 posted by devophill

, July 15, 2008 12:05 PM

Nice Don Martin-style sfx.

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#2 posted by Doomstalk , July 15, 2008 12:18 PM

Dammit Rob, you keep making me miss Pittsburgh.

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#3 posted by Agies , July 15, 2008 1:03 PM

Very cool to be covering the Big Bots. I hope you will take a look at the humorous lawn mowing robot at Phipps (I won't spoil it here). Also maybe you can find the one outside the library in Oakland because I couldn't.

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#4 posted by Rob Beschizza

, July 15, 2008 1:51 PM

Agies, would that be the sheep covered earlier today? Scroll down!

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#5 posted by Agies , July 15, 2008 2:16 PM

Yes, yes it would be. I must have been distracted by shiny laptops...

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#6 posted by sej , July 15, 2008 4:20 PM

"one of America's busiest town squares" is a generous way to describe anything in Pittsburgh ... any one else with me there?

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#7 posted by t3knomanser