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Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'

Raw Footage
1985
9 min

Like Bertoia and Eastley, Fullman started out as a sculptor, gradually got interested in constructing sound-making objects, and finally graduated to instrument invention. She has dedicated much of her artistic life to the Long String Instrument, a physically imposing device with 53-foot-long strings that takes several days to set up in a performance space. Later incarnations of the Long String Instrument expanded to 100 foot strings. Unlike Mr and Mrs Lasry with the Cristal Baschet, Fulman doesn’t use water to keep her fingers slippery but coats both her hands and the strings with rosin. Waxed up, she strokes the strings between her finger tips, coaxing out gorgeous hovering tones as extended as the filaments themselves. The timbre sometimes recalls the viola or the church organ but the notes are so stretched out it feels almost like a synthesizer sound. In one interview, Fullman described playing the Long String Instrument as “an ecstatic feeling, a floating sensation. Music is bigger than me: there are pitch relationships, shapes of notes beautiful beyond the level of human expression. I like that feeling of being a conduit.” This enjoyably amateurish local news item from an Austin, Texas TV station also showcases another of Fullman’s inventions, a water-drip drum.

  • Simon Reynolds

title
x

Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'

Raw Footage
1985
9 min

Like Bertoia and Eastley, Fullman started out as a sculptor, gradually got interested in constructing sound-making objects, and finally graduated to instrument invention. She has dedicated much of her artistic life to the Long String Instrument, a physically imposing device with 53-foot-long strings that takes several days to set up in a performance space. Later incarnations of the Long String Instrument expanded to 100 foot strings. Unlike Mr and Mrs Lasry with the Cristal Baschet, Fulman doesn’t use water to keep her fingers slippery but coats both her hands and the strings with rosin. Waxed up, she strokes the strings between her finger tips, coaxing out gorgeous hovering tones as extended as the filaments themselves. The timbre sometimes recalls the viola or the church organ but the notes are so stretched out it feels almost like a synthesizer sound. In one interview, Fullman described playing the Long String Instrument as “an ecstatic feeling, a floating sensation. Music is bigger than me: there are pitch relationships, shapes of notes beautiful beyond the level of human expression. I like that feeling of being a conduit.” This enjoyably amateurish local news item from an Austin, Texas TV station also showcases another of Fullman’s inventions, a water-drip drum.

  • Simon Reynolds

title
x

Invented Instruments & Sound Sculptures

Flyer for event Harry Partch: Music Studio.

Harry Partch: Music Studio

Like so many modernists, Partch’s true goal was to go back: to reinvent the holistic audio-visual art forms of the Ancient world.
Flyer for event Les Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet.

Les Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet

The Baschet brothers built a range of sonic structures, most famously the Cristal Baschet, a glittering array of glass rods with piercing drone-tones.
Flyer for event The Sound Sculpture of Harry Bertoia.

The Sound Sculpture of Harry Bertoia

An avant-garde sculptor and furniture designer, Harry Bertoia made sound-generating objects Inspired by the clustered blades of desert grass.
Flyer for event Gizmotron.

Gizmotron

10cc's Godley & Creme created a guitar device that could generate wavering tones resembling orchestral strings, brass, and other non-rock instruments.
Flyer for event David Vorhaus Analogue Electronic Music.

David Vorhaus Analogue Electronic Music

This clip from the 1979 BBC program The New Sound of Music showcases two of his creations: the MANIAC & the Kaleidophon.
Flyer for event Max Eastley: Clocks of the Midnight Hours.

Max Eastley: Clocks of the Midnight Hours

Since the mid-Sixties, Eastley has been making sound-generating devices, some driven by tiny invisible motors and others played by the elements.
Flyer for event Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'.

Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'

Fullman has dedicated much of her artistic life to the Long String Instrument, a device with 53ft-long strings that takes several days to set up.
Flyer for event Bow Gamelan: Offshore Rig.

Bow Gamelan: Offshore Rig

This eccentric 80s ensemble put on AV spectaculars with fireworks, motorized percussive instruments and noise devices made from salvage materials.
Flyer for event Kathy Hinde: Piano Migrations.

Kathy Hinde: Piano Migrations

Composer and visual artist Kathy Hinde transforms a battered old upright piano into a sound and video sculpture.
Flyer for event Sarah Angliss: The Ealing Feeder.

Sarah Angliss: The Ealing Feeder

The Ealing Feeder is a mechanical carillon made out of 29 handbells, which can be programmed to chime in patterns much quicker than any human player.

Invented Instruments & Sound Sculptures

Flyer for event Harry Partch: Music Studio.

Harry Partch: Music Studio

Like so many modernists, Partch’s true goal was to go back: to reinvent the holistic audio-visual art forms of the Ancient world.
Flyer for event Les Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet.

Les Structures Sonores Lasry-Baschet

The Baschet brothers built a range of sonic structures, most famously the Cristal Baschet, a glittering array of glass rods with piercing drone-tones.
Flyer for event The Sound Sculpture of Harry Bertoia.

The Sound Sculpture of Harry Bertoia

An avant-garde sculptor and furniture designer, Harry Bertoia made sound-generating objects Inspired by the clustered blades of desert grass.
Flyer for event Gizmotron.

Gizmotron

10cc's Godley & Creme created a guitar device that could generate wavering tones resembling orchestral strings, brass, and other non-rock instruments.
Flyer for event David Vorhaus Analogue Electronic Music.

David Vorhaus Analogue Electronic Music

This clip from the 1979 BBC program The New Sound of Music showcases two of his creations: the MANIAC & the Kaleidophon.
Flyer for event Max Eastley: Clocks of the Midnight Hours.

Max Eastley: Clocks of the Midnight Hours

Since the mid-Sixties, Eastley has been making sound-generating devices, some driven by tiny invisible motors and others played by the elements.
Flyer for event Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'.

Ellen Fullman: 'Long String Instrument'

Fullman has dedicated much of her artistic life to the Long String Instrument, a device with 53ft-long strings that takes several days to set up.
Flyer for event Bow Gamelan: Offshore Rig.

Bow Gamelan: Offshore Rig

This eccentric 80s ensemble put on AV spectaculars with fireworks, motorized percussive instruments and noise devices made from salvage materials.
Flyer for event Kathy Hinde: Piano Migrations.

Kathy Hinde: Piano Migrations

Composer and visual artist Kathy Hinde transforms a battered old upright piano into a sound and video sculpture.
Flyer for event Sarah Angliss: The Ealing Feeder.

Sarah Angliss: The Ealing Feeder

The Ealing Feeder is a mechanical carillon made out of 29 handbells, which can be programmed to chime in patterns much quicker than any human player.
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Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on film screenings and residencies.

You can opt out anytime. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please read Boiler Room's Privacy Notice. By clicking above, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

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