Bartholomäus Traubeck: Years

For the first minute of this film by Bartholomäus Traubeck, I recommend you enjoy the quiet build-up by wrapping your head around the elegant and technically fascinating set-up that allows a custom record player to play the rings of a tree. How each cross-section of wood is interpreted is totally unique; Years uses a special stylus arm that maps the strength, thickness and rate of growth of a tree’s rings, this data, combined with the overall appearance of the wood (dark/light etc) is translated into harmonious piano sounds. So, an old hard-wood has a pleasing complexity and depth while a younger tree will play a softer, simpler tune. Lovely.