Vegetable Instruments, Baltimore, and the AVAM

Well I’m back in Santa Fe and I must say that the vegetable instrument workshop was a huge success! The American Visionary Art Museum gathered a bunch of us music folks together for an amazing day of junk instrument building, noise parties, instrument petting zoos, vegetable instruments, and discussions about music and the brain. What an incredible experience…

About 1 minute before things started getting chaotic!

Two of my favorites. Cucumber saxophone and a coconut/carrot slide trumpet.

Butternut squash drum machine!

The volunteers where a huge help.

The beat boxing workshop across the hall.

The day ended with a panel discussion about why music matters and music and the brain.

One of three AVAM buildings. This one is covered in little shards of mirror, glass, and pottery.

Everyone loves junkbots!

I didn’t have a chance to record any of the sounds but someone has a video of the whole thing so I’ll see what I can do to get it. Probably 75-100 people showed up for my event. Once things warmed up, vegetables were being slain left and right… the sweet smell of ginger root and fresh carrot permeated the air…. voices, sounds, and laughter with the occasional burst of a coconut/carrot slide trumpet pleased the ears… by the end of the extravaganza, chunks of unidentifiable vegetables were everywhere!

People were liberated. Having access to a seemingly endless supply of vegetables and being able to destroy and transform those vegetables for the sake of creativity and self-expression was thrilling. The humdrum of chopping carrots and skinning potatoes for dinner was skewed and transformed into an unusual and wonderful setting where people were not attached to their normal routines, but instead, were gifted with a zone of creative freedom that was truly… fresh. The Vienna Vegetable Orchestra would be proud!

Cauliflower resonators are always a big hit at parties!

One of the best parts of my experience was meeting and talking with Ranjit, the very talented creator of many things, who hosted the junk instrument workshop (my favorite part of the day). Couchsurfing in Baltimore was out of this world!!! and by far the best way to travel if you’re into meeting new people and experiencing a new place at the local’s level of interaction. The AVAM is a magical hub of expression and the staff and volunteers are young and very cool. Ask for Felice Cleveland, the director and educational coordinator, if you’re ever at the museum. She will surprise you. I met so many great people while in Baltimore and if you’re reading this, thank you! and best wishes!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures (more here). Oddstrument is in for some pretty big changes soon… stay tuned, get your pens ready, and thanks for reading.

Cheers!