The Flying Carpet takes an old carpet, fringe added and a map of Iraq embroidered onto it, and turns it into a magic carpet ride that is not only interactive but a little scary. The carpet is raised off the floor and place on a platform that gallery visitors can “drive” using foot pedals to “shake” or put on the brake lights. After one has started playing and having fun with the carpet, when put on the brakes. Let’s just keep on going all the way to Baghdad, carefully marked by a laser pointer hanging from the ceiling.
Spread out across the gallery windows are a series of musical instruments made from sewing machines over resonation boxes. Again, operated by foot pedals these “instruments” can be played as music with each instrument having a different rhythm and pitch. There would have to be several people there at the same time in order to create a musical composition but, with a little rehearsal something interesting could certainly be created although, it would have to certainly considered experimental.
‘The Flying Carpet’ at ArtCenter/South Florida:
“Married artists Pip and Duane Brant are taking their domestic squabbles to the creative arena with the exhibition The Flying Carpet at ArtCenter/South Florida. No flying plates here. The Brants world is a whimsical territory of sewing-sound-machines (his invention) and a flying carpet (hers) that shakes and lights up when foot pedals are engaged.”
(Via MiamiHerald.com: Visual Arts & Architecture.)
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