When sewing machines spring to mind, many of us will conjure up thoughts of our mothers and grandmothers making school uniforms for us, or altering the hems on our trousers. Most of us will not harness the potential of the sound which these metallic beasts create or the songs that they sing whilst in motion. Martin Messier however is one of those who has taken the time to appreciate and utilise the sounds of the mechanics and workings of Singer sewing machines.
Although perhaps an unconventional sound to those who are not acquainted with discordancy or even the amalgamation of art and the music world, Messier’s work takes shape as a result of a relationship between sound and material.
“Messier constantly redefine the frontiers of concrete music by creating sounds with everyday life objects, such as alarm clocks, pens, self-conceived machines and sewing machines. At the very centre of this dialogue between sounds and objects is the desire to push the everyday imaginary a little further, to magnify these entities by giving them a voice and by reinventing their function.”
In 2010, 14 Lieux, a sound production company for the performing arts was founded by Messier. This company has allowed the art and music world to collide and create a new avant-garde sound. Whatever your thoughts about this type of music or art, it is only when someone as unique as Messier pushes the boundaries that we are able to create new, exciting and pioneering music.
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