Sewing Machine Orchestra
Martin Messier
Sewing Machine Orchestra by Martin Messier | Photo by Devon Hutchins
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Sewing Machine Orchestra is a sound and light installation composed of twelve synced sewing machines. The Sewing Machines are orchestrated by computer software and amplified by contact microphones. The machines’ continual movements steadily increase in power and volume gradually building up to full speed. As the accelerating rhythm follows it produces a jarring concert.
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Sewing Machine Orchestra is a stand-alone installation that loops every 3 minutes, with a 1 minute pause between.
In this artwork, the sewing machine is symbolic. A single sewing machine lives within domestic and private spaces, while multiple sewing machines within a space invoke industrialization, efficiency, and a depersonalized feeling of factory labor. In this installation, instead of carrying out a useful function - making clothes, joining materials together - their sole purpose is in creating sound, contradicting their associated function.
The piece consists of twelve unique Singer sewing machines from the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s.
Martin rigged the wheels of the machine to function like a potentiometer - a device used to control audio volume.
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After studying composition at l’Université de Montréal, Martin began experimenting in incorporating sound into video images.
His work has been presented in some 20 countries, he has received several prizes and nominations: a special mention at Prix Ars Electronica in 2010; listed for a Prix Opus in 2012; Best Experimental Short Film at the Lausanne Underground Film Festival in 2013; the Canada Council’s Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award in 2014; a special mention by the jury at the 2015 Japan Media Awards; and, in 2018, the World OMOSIROI Award in Japan.
He is the general and artistic director of 14 lieux, a company dedicated to producing sound works for the stage.
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