daniel arsham x pharrell: casio MT-500 made from volcanic ash

daniel arsham x pharrell: casio MT-500 made from volcanic ash
all images courtesy of daniel arsham

american artist and sculptor daniel arsham and artist pharrell williams revealed their creative collaboration: a series of sculptural keyboards made to look like fossilized relics of a bygone past. the monochromatic re-creations are based off the design of the 1980s casio MT-500 keyboard and drumkit, the very first instrument pharrell ever made music on. arsham recast the electronic music machines and the modeled the forms out of geological materials: volcanic ash, crystal, and steel. the collection was unveiled at an exhibition and event hosted at standard east village in new york on september 11th, 2013. the celebration included a tactile, interactive experience, where guests could handle the objects with provided white gloves.

three recreations of the 1980s casio MT-500 keyboard

the white sculpture made from volcanic ash, crystal, and steel

a detail of the black keyboard sculpture

daniel arsham holds his sculpture with pharrell