Human Harp #PlayTheBridge by Di Mainstone
Artists plays the Clifton Suspension Bridge like a giant string instrument
Queen Mary University of London's Artist-in-Residence Di Mainstone has released a new online film made in collaboration with filmmaker Jesse D Lawrence, which reveals the voice of the Clifton Suspension Bridge for the first time.
Using specially created ‘bridge bows’ developed at Bristol’s Pervasive Media Studio with engineers from Arup and students from the University of the West of England, Di’s team have harnessed the low frequency vibrations of the suspension rods, then found a way to turn them into music and captured the event on film.
The first version of the 'Human Harp' was launched on 24th May 2013 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Walking across the bridge, Di was inspired by the sounds that she heard and wondered if she could develop an instrument that could record and play the vibrations collected in its cables. Back in the UK, Di worked with the Arts Council England, Sennheiser and the Roundhouse venue to create the Human Harp Live-Lab where students from Queen Mary University and a team of engineers, musicians and dancers collaborated with the artist to develop the new ‘Bridge-Bow’, an instrument that could play the bridge in real time.
