'Gamelan Playtime' draws in passers-by as they walk along Hungerford terrace on the South Bank. By moving their hands across an invitingly tactile surface pedestrians trigger sensors that release recordings of the Royal Festival Hall's Gamelan set being played by a group of Lambeth school children. The sounds are made up of the Gamelan instruments themselves, human voices and song. The installation is a 30m long "wall", bringing about unexpected interaction not only between each individual and the surface but also amongst the all the different groups of people engaging with the installation at the same time.
'Gamelan Playtime' is as an expression of the Education at the Royal Festival Hall's 'Keeping in Touch' policy. While the Royal Festival Hall may itself be closed for refurbishment, the Education department is continuing to run its program of workshops. Furthermore, when the Royal Festival Hall reopens in two years time, it will be equipped with a space devoted to the Education Centre's activities. 'Gamelan Playtime' is thus the first in a series of installations that will continue to promote awareness of the education centre's activities and concerns and to advertise its exciting new premises to all those who pass by.
Weekdays see Hungerford terrace filled with commuters walking to and from Waterloo, 'Gamelan Playtime' offers them an unexpected moment of creativity and subtly brings people together, engendering a soft alteration to the daily routine. Evenings and weekends see a less frenetic traffic; pedestrians can engage more with the installation and can fuller advantage of the opportunities it offers.
The collective nature of the Gamelan's musical tradition is reflected in all of these interactions, as passers by interact with each other. The collective aspect of Gamelan is part of what makes it so central to the education department's programme. The installation's accessibility and inclusiveness reflects Education at the Royal Festival Hall's core values.
The patterns on the wall take their inspiration from the shadow and rod puppets, which Gamelan music often accompanies, as well as from the Gamelan instruments themselves. The warm colour palette is based on Javanese batiks. The patterns are depicted by the use of common rubber buffers screwed into the wall that is painted a deep gold. Close-up, the familiar nature of the buffers invites touch and interaction. Stand further away and intriguing instruments and creatures emerge...
A 2 year master plan:
The “Keeping in Touch” project will last from October 2005 until approximately 2007.
A long term plan that would spread on the total duration of the RFH refurbishment, filling the memory gap for
this time, will allow the Education Centre to be alive
in people’s mind when it opens.
Nurturing relationships:
To create a significant awareness to the Education Centre profile in this space used principally by commuters, the “Keeping in Touch” installation gives information that will grow with time.
Taking into consideration the audience, the transitory nature of the location, and thus not expecting people to stop or to assimilate large amount of information, the installation is based on the regular flow patterns and creates an ever changing experience, and so keeping passers-by interested over a long period. In this way, we aim to nurture relationships with the users.
