born 15 march, 1942 in san sperate, a small village in the southern part of sardinia, pinuccio sciola traveled and studied around the world, in places such as florence, salzburg, madrid, and paris, before returning back to his native land. the sardinian artist gained wide recognition for his rock sculptures, which have been shown in various exhibitions worldwide, including the venice biennale, and renzo piano’s parco della musica in rome, where he contributed with one piece. particularly known for his ‘sound stones’, sciola was able to make rocks ‘sing’ by carving patterned fissures onto them with a circular saw. designboom visited the artist’s sound garden in san sperate to discover how running a smaller rock over a carved piece of stone can transform it from art object to musical instrument.
image © designboom
pinuccio sciola, who passed away in 2016, first presented his ‘sound stones’ in 1996 at the ‘time in jazz’ festival in berchidda, where he performed with swiss percussionist pierre favre, and then again in 2003, where he played the rocks with italian trumpeter paolo fresu in front of assisi’s basilica san fancesco. when struck, his sculptures produce various sounds similar to those of bells, drums, and gongs, evoking a mystical atmosphere from a prehistoric time. bringing together past and present, the artist has manged to release sounds that for millennia have been trapped inside the material itself.
image © designboom
the singing sculptures and their musical properties follow on mankind’s centuries-old infatuation with stones and sound, starting from the prehistoric rock art of indigenous people in australia, africa, and the americas, to the numerous engravings in egypt and mesopotamia. stones were also used in various musical ceremonies around the world, as for example, in paleolithic vietnam, in some tribes in mali and togo, and in the ancient confucian court music of china and korea. equally important, sound was already considered magical and mysterious by people from the paleolithic age, where stalactites and stalagmites, referred to as ‘lithophones’, were able to produce sounds when struck. archaeoacoustics, a study yet to be explored further, finds that the sounds produced in such environments range around an 110 Hz frequency (the second lowest level of the male singing voice), which stimulates a certain electrical brain rhythm associated with a trance-like state.
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
image © designboom
portrait of the artist, courtesy of the sciola museum
marble and stone design (82 articles)
john pawson sculpts elliptic vessels from carrara marble for salvatori
BUZAO infiltrates marble with a highly saturated blue color in dyeing marble collection
odd matter studio's 'fat rolls' vases are modelled after chubby arms
artist paints eyes on stones and then returns them to the place where she found them
too heavy for the cloud? give weight to precious memories with this rock hard drive
creative studio idea3di launches levitating marble lamp 'levia'
design news
world's first bee influencer generates 'buzz' on instagram in bid to save itself
#design
fondation de france hopes that B’s huge instagram presence will be an incentive for brands to partner with the insect to promote their products.
fondation de france hopes that B’s huge instagram presence will be an incentive for brands to partner with the insect to promote their products.
QWSTION's waterproof fabric made from banana plants wins design prize switzerland 2019
#design
their array of products are versatile carry solutions for everyday use, with an understated look and a low environmental footprint.
their array of products are versatile carry solutions for everyday use, with an understated look and a low environmental footprint.
coca-cola named the world's most polluting brand in global audit of plastic waste
#design
the audit involved 72,000 volunteers, across 50 countries and six continents, taking part in 84 cleanup events.
the audit involved 72,000 volunteers, across 50 countries and six continents, taking part in 84 cleanup events.
'hellvetica' is a terrible take on an iconic typeface created to scare graphic designers
#design
kern in hell: the updated design features questionable spacing intended to irritate graphic designers on the occasion of halloween.
kern in hell: the updated design features questionable spacing intended to irritate graphic designers on the occasion of halloween.
We were privileged enough to know him since the 70’s He was a very special man and always made us feel welcome. We wish his daughter every success in carrying on her fathers work.
If you have time visit San Sperate to see his garden. Buy some oranges and peaches and taste the famous fruit of the area. See the murals in n the walls and enjoy the friendly people. Enjoy