dice roll

dice, plywood, metal, fishing line, motors, foam paper, wood, pulleys, electronics

This kinetic sculpture reveals a network of autonomously rolling dice that explores the interplay of order and chaos, pattern and noise, equilibrium and entropy.

This piece makes use of concurrent periodic events to create a complex acoustic environment. Using the dice as culturally-specific sound objects (with their connotation as objects of gambling and chance), the kinetic machines exploit the sound of rolling dice to create a sounding fingerprint that points to the ways in which we live in a world of probabilities. Imitating the natural sounds of rail or hail, the emergence of the dices' sonic presence in sheer volume and discordant mass pervades the space creating unusual sonic textures and timbres in its wake.

download the material score, electronics builds, and construction instructions: [ dice roll ]