Permanent Exhibition - Roots And Branches

The Roots and Branches sculpture is a great starting point for visitors to begin their journey through EMP’s galleries and exhibits, offering a dynamic, interactive, and historical journey into the origins and evolution of American popular music. From the ancient Scottish melodies that eventually gave birth to folk music, to the "sweet home" Chicago blues, to the irreverence of **** rock, visitors receive an audio/visual tour of American musical roots and influences. Computer touch-screens equipped with earphones guide visitors through various musical permutations as live music, provided by the sculpture itself, plays in the background. Numerous customized robotic guitars attached to the sculpture play music on cue. Each customized guitar plays only one string at a time, so six guitars work together to create the sound of one chord - an effective mechanical metaphor for the way that musical styles and traditions have influenced one another throughout time.

About the technology:
More than 500 musical instruments and 30 computers were used to create the Roots and Branches sculpture. The process began when short stretches of music were played into a computer by live musicians. These short segments of music were then organized by Trimpin into a continuous electronic composition, with notes assigned to specific instruments by what is called a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) platform. The computer activates a motor, the motor plucks the guitar string and the string makes the sound, much in the way that a player piano roll triggers the keys of a player piano.

About the artist:
Trimpin, the artist who designed the Roots and Branches sculpture, grew up near the Black Forest in Germany. His background is as multi-faceted and original as his artistic creations. After years of formal training in brass and woodwind performance, he completed an apprenticeship in electrical engineering and later earned a Master’s degree in social pedagogy. "I had to study what goes on physically when different brains are working. I needed all this information to get to the point where I could execute my ideas. It wasn’t available in literature, because none of these books existed. So from the beginning I always had to do it on my own." Trimpin’s commissioned artwork can be seen throughout the United States and Europe.

Location : EMP’s galleries.

Hours
Summer Hours (May 25, 2007 to September 3, 2007)
Open Daily 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Winter Hours (Sept 4, 2007 - May 23, 2008)
Open Daily
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed Tuesdays