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The Cartrimba Shockinator
A musical instrument made from a Freelander Shock absorber.
Vicky Lines
Inspired by watching sumo wrestling and a leaky kitchen tap held secure by elastic bands, that made a tune as a start point. I was drawn to an oriental theme, and how could I translate a Freelander’s car parts that would be scrapped into that theme.
I pondered how I could make an instrument, looking at each piece of rusty scrap parts individually. I found the Shock absorber most interesting, and the shape instantly revealed suggestions that I could attach strings to it to transform it into an instrument. This was inspired by the Japanese Koto, the Chinese Guqin (ow-chin), and the Chinese Erhu (er-who).
Aesthetics were important, but I wanted to retain the visual appearance of the shock absorber and have it recognized as such.
The rust was to be part of the decoration, the rugged automotive engineering, with musical intervention/invention.
The initial design process played an important part in influencing the outcome of the concept. It gave me a theme and a direction for influences to move forward with the initial ideas.
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Oriental undertones were the order, with Western-style materials and recycled objects.
The string, like a guitar, can be tuned. The wooden honey spoons represent ceremony, this can be seen in sumo wrestling, where two blocks of wood are hit together to grab the audience's attention, indicating that something important is about to happen. The brooch is purely for decoration. The chimes added functional sound, alongside aesthetic appeal.
The concept may be more akin to a piece of artwork than a functional instrument. The shock absorber achieved the oriental style tones I wanted. I like the juxtaposition of the wood and rust, as well as the rugged metalwork.
