My friend Yann Seznec made three bizarre and challenging electronic musical instruments and asked me to help him design them. They’re instruments that misbehave and are hard to control. They explore memory, remembering, listening, and forgetting. They ask you to think about what it’s like to hear something for the last time and to accept that nothing lasts forever.
The project was loosely inspired by the early 13th century Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices by Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari (commonly known as al-Jazari).
Yann has made some great videos and written several essays that clearly explain his thoughts behind the project. You can see / hear / read more at www.impracticaldevices.com.