ART INSTALLATION
Opening performance for Manchester International Festival, 2023. For "Each Tiny Drop" by Risham Syed, with Kinetic Artworks by Savinder Bual
For the opening of the prestigious Manchester International Festival, we designed and built five monumental kinetic sound sculptures that served as the centerpiece for Risham Syed's "Each Tiny Drop." Fabricated from industrial steel, glass, and reclaimed terracotta roof tiles, the works were inspired by the functional elegance of tipping bucket rain gauges.
The performance was a feat of coordinated human and mechanical interaction. Water bearers, using long-handled ladles, poured water into the system atop each sculpture. This action triggered a precise kinetic chain: water trickled onto balanced bamboo seesaws, causing them to rock and strike clear glass funnels, generating a soft, resonant acoustic punctuation.
The water then continued its path, cascading melodiously down channels of terracotta tiles before being offered to and collected by the audience of 1,000 people in clay pots. This final act created a powerful, tangible connection between the artwork, the performers, and the attendees, transforming the entire assembly into a participatory ritual centered on the elemental properties of water and sound.
Location: Manchester, Uk
Status: Completed
