MATERIAL ORCHESTRA
2023

Project Overview

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has opened the new interactive learning space, The 81st Street Studio for children. Yamaha Corporation led the design creation for The Interactive Musical Station and created a series of six sound pieces called "Material Orchestra" so that children can learn about the principles and mechanisms of musical instruments, as well as the unique sounds of the materials themselves. They are designed to nurture children's sensitivities by allowing them to experience the rich world of sound through play, immersed in the physical phenomena of sound making and the basic mechanisms of the string, percussion, and wind instruments incorporated in each piece.
We hope that The 81st Street Studio, a new world filled with culture and art open to children, will provide them with many discoveries through "sound," which is full of curiosity.

Works

Marimba Woods

A comforting sound comes out when you hit the sound boards made of various types of wood, lined up like a forest. Each board is tuned to make the correct scale, but when you tap it, you’ll notice that, depending on the wood type, the sound characteristics and the relationship between their size (length) and scale vary. This shows that each wood type has different and unique properties, such as hardness and density. While enjoying playing, the player will gradually notice and be attracted to the wonder of the material.

Standing String

This instrument is made of a single string on a tree trunk-like body rising vertically. The position of the finger on the string alters the string’s length and pressing the pedal changes the tightness of the string which in turn changes the sound. Using their whole body, the player can experience and understand the principles of one of the most basic musical instruments, a string, which produces sound by vibration.

Woodpecker Chime

By pulling a string and releasing it, a hammer strikes the chime, imitating the way a woodpecker taps on wood. Chimes are scattered across the ceiling of the room, and each bird plays a different scale, allowing you to enjoy the various sounds and movements of the birds spread throughout the space as if you were in a forest.

Wall Castanet

This is a huge interactive sound-making wall, filled with lots of castanets. The sound varies depending on the type of wood used for the castanet, as does the scale which changes depending on the size of the ring cut out from the wall. The player can enjoy the bright sound of castanets while playing with their whole body. This large wall full of castanets will spark children’s curiosity, inviting them to learn how the different material and the size of the cutouts make different sounds.

Sound Surfboard

This balance board style toy plays the sound of waves when you ride it. Small steel balls inside move and rub against the form, producing white noise-like sounds. From strong waves to quiet ripples, the expression of sound changes depending on how you move your body. Inspired by an old-fashioned Japanese sound effect technique that uses adzuki beans and a colander to reproduce the sound of waves, we aimed to create something where children can naturally enjoy making sound through play.

Bellows Pipe Organ

This pipe-like organ makes sound by pushing air through orderly arranged tubes. Air is pumped out by the bellows on the base, and sound is produced using the air vibration produced by the tubes. You can learn how the pitch changes depending on the length of the tubes and enjoy the overlap of notes played by pumping air into multiple tubes simultaneously. Through playing, you can understand the sound making principles of a pipe similar to a recorder and chord mechanics.