Publisher's Synopsis
At the centre of this exhibition catalogue stand the sound-producing machine sculptures of Jean Tinguely.The artist's sculptures generate noises, sounds, and apparently random, self-performing music. This musical side then reached a climax with the four Méta-Harmonie music machines between 1978 and 1985.This catalogue and the exhibition address developments both in music, with works that deal with machines, and in which machines comprise the instruments and/or producers of sounds for pieces.The spectrum extends from the avant-garde until today - including discussion into the medium of Radio, and the work of Tinguely's contemporaries such as John Cage, Robert Rauschenberg, Nan June Paik, and also the esoteric Hungarian composer György Ligeti.Published on the occasion of the exhibition Music machines / Machine music, at Museum Tinguely, Basel, 19 October 2016 - 22 January 2017.English and German text.
