Unclassifiable Inventions is a performative sound installation that focuses on the resonance of materials, of fragile, ridiculous and stubborn machines, and on utopias of perpetual movement. Linked to a long line of self-proclaimed inventors and tinkerers seeking to produce continual movement through mechanical tricks, this project intentionally blurs the distinction between technique and wonder.
The performative installation utilizes a series of amplified devices, each of which is connected to its own amplification system. These assemblages, set in motion by the rotating surface of tape recorders and other electronic elements diverted from their primary function, rub, knock into or bounce against amplified materials. A range of repurposed objects (corks, paper, toothpicks, nails, acetate, plant leaves, bamboo utensils) are used to create unstable constructions, which act as somewhat unpredictable sound generators.
The research for these devices began about a year ago, and has included sound performances. During her residence at OBORO, Anne-Françoise Jacques wishes to explore new techniques for amplifying the resonance of materials and to develop a more installational and less frontal mode of presentation, in particular by integrating the amplification systems into the very structure of the assemblages, thus transforming each one into a small autonomous station.
