Ceci N'est Pas Un Jouet (2009)
Instrumentation:
2-Crank Music Boxes
- Composed by Gene Koshinski
Music Performed by Quey Percussion Duo
Video produced by Gene Gort
Choreography and Dance performed by Miki Orihara + Stephen Pier
Programming design by Gene Gort
Interactive programming by Timothy Lawless
Audio recording by Don Schraufnagel and Gene Koshinski
Documention videography by Marc Hill
"Ceci N'est Pas Un Jouet" is scored for two handle-operated music boxes played by one or two performers. The concept of the piece is that very complex music can be created by using two separate and somewhat simple musical materials. The music boxes can play any tunes and performances should vary. The piece may exist alone as an auditory experience or there is a new version with video (added in 2018).
Ceci N'est Pas Un Jouet (translated as “this is not a toy”) is scored for two handle-operated music boxes played by two performers. The performers are instructed to manipulate the instruments at varying speeds, notated as a graphic score on a 5-minute timeline. The concept of the work shows how complex music can be derived from two separate, somewhat simple, musical elements. Subsequent to the creation of the piece, Quey commissioned artist Gene Gort to add a visual component to the work. In addition to controlling video playback, the computer program that Gort designed also uses the amplitude generated from contact microphones attached to the music boxes to advance the video one frame at a time. The result is a direct relationship between the musicians and the dancers viewed. In the end, the dancers resist this power relationship.