In the previous couple of years, we’ve seen two nice comebacks. The primary is the vinyl document, which broke CD gross sales in the U.S. final yr. The second is blindingly colourful LEDs, pushed by a resurgence in maximalist PC gaming aesthetics.
Whereas I by no means imagined these two developments mashing up, the musician Mind Eno has proved me improper. His piece, Turntable, is a glowing, color-changing document participant.
Turntable, © Brian Eno. [Photo: Luke Walker/courtesy the artist and Paul Stolper Gallery London]Technically talking, it’s not a sophisticated design. The piece is made of carved polyurethane. Customizable, inner lights shine proper via the casing, operated by a inventory Arduino board (the kind of silicon beloved by makers). However what he’s created is an ethereal, transfixing music machine. It’s a document participant that appears like it could possibly be designed by mild artist James Turrell, carved out of photons fairly than plastics.
The design truly jogs my memory rather a lot of a defunct undertaking by Philips from 2007 referred to as the Aurea. It was a TV, with an identical, clear LED bezel to the Turntable.
Aurea’s gross sales pitch was that it prolonged the colours of your tv display screen via the case and even projected these colours onto your wall. Aurea reimagined the historically black-clad house theater—with parts designed to recede into your cupboard like shadows—as a vibrant, expressive expertise. I recall claims of lowered eye pressure and extra immersive content material. I used to be by no means offered on any of that. It merely wasn’t all that sensible to stare at these vibrant lights for 2 hours whereas watching a film. However Aurea’s avant-garde design from 2007 nonetheless feels avant-garde at present.
Turntable, © Brian Eno. [Photo: Luke Walker/courtesy the artist and Paul Stolper Gallery London]In the end, Philips discontinued the Aurea, spinning off its lighting expertise into varied different extra discreet audio system, shows, and kits. As for Eno’s turntable, we’re instructed the restricted run of 50 simply offered out at the Paul Stolper Gallery in London, for an undisclosed worth. Maybe there’s one thing to this concept but.
