Wind Violins look like huge instruments which are hung in the trees and of which the strings are played through the movement of the wind by the branches. The installation consists of three violins, three cellos and three bass instruments. Each instrument has a string which can be tuned in harmony with the others. The horsehair bow moves over the strings of the speaker cabinets by the nylon threads attached to the treetops, and held in tension by the counterweights.
The system is dependent on the nature and the elements. Without the right wind they will not play. Patience and acceptance of the public is brought to the test. In the work of Ronald van der Meijs, which takes place around the tension between man and machine, culture and nature, natural processes are both part and subject of the work. In his work he explores how man relates to nature through the use of technology. In our time where nature and culture are completely intertwined. What does that mean for the state of the people who live in this technological world? Inmachine-like installations van der Meijs lets technology communicate with living matter and natural elements such as water, wind, rotting fruit and evaporation processes.
The mechanism of the work is being directed by these natural processes and can not completely be controlled in its rhythm, time and shape. By creating an interaction between technology and nature contrary to the expectations of efficiency, accuracy and speed that we typically have of technology he explores a new symbiosis between culture and nature, in which man and technology are positioned against nature but are an integral part of it. The installations are characterised by both high and low tech applications. The location, context, and the passage of time and the effect thereof on the work plays an important role.
het Glazen Huis
