Ad lib.

Ad lib.

Ad lib.

“Ad lib.” is a sound sculpture that combines a medical breathing machine with an iconic music instrument, a pipe organ, thus creating a hybrid and very symbolic instrument.
A machine designed to provide automatic pulmonary ventilation to patients with severe conditions affecting the respiratory system is hooked up to the sounding component of the instrument most associated with Christian liturgy, the organ. The result is an original music machine that - automatically and without any human contact - plays an essential, mechanical Requiem: the 6 organ pipes play a musical chord, a fragment of music (a reference to the "German Requiem" op.45 by Johannes Brahms) frozen to the constant rhythm of the automatic breath. By activating the breathing machine, the organ starts to play and it becomes a contactless instrument, that incessantly repeats the chord, like a breath repeating on and on. Thus “Ad lib.” can be considered as a sound machine that is “contactless by default”, because it doesn’t need man’s interaction to play, and its parameters are automatically controlled by the pulmonary ventilator.
The work “Ad lib.” submitted for the award was built between 2019 and early 2020 and is the latest outcome of a series of sound sculptures started in 2013. By the time the work was completed, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis hit Europe and this gave the work a new powerful meaning: many people afflicted by covid-19 needed breathing support and the sound produced by the sculpture, a continuous, regular loop of notes following the pace of the breathing machine, became a sort of cathartic sound for this difficult historical moment. Between each chord played by the breathing machine, there’s a pause, a silent stillness that musically enhances the empathy for those who suffer and struggle. The reference to the musical form of the Requiem with a frozen fragment of music, that only allows for variation by switching off the medical machine, suggests that keeping patients in a frozen state of suspense, when it’s not effective at healing the patient, has the purpose of facilitating the mourning of those who will continue living.
The title of the work, the abbreviation of the Latin expression “Ad libitum”, is generally used to express the freedom of a person to act according to their own judgment in a given context. In musical terminology “Ad libitum” gives discretion to the player over parameters such as how many times to repeat a number of bars in a musical score.
The action of this artificial organ raises ethical questions about the discretion and responsibility involved in this mechanical Requiem, a metaphor for a limit that men delegate to technology.
Under its simple and essential appearance, the work “Ad lib.” raises questions over our efforts to artificially extend life by replacing bodily organs with machines.
In the circumstances in which human will can prolong or interrupt the survival of the body “ad libitum”, who is in power when we become dependent on such machines for our biological existence?
The result is an original music machine that plays a mechanical Requiem acting as a powerful metaphor and addressing questions on themes like therapeutic obstinacy, machinic life, post-human condition or the acceptance of individuals will.
This work is the latest outcome of the series of sound sculptures titled “Ad lib.” and it is the result of almost a decade of research, trying to create an original artwork by the simple juxtaposition of two very different objects without altering their original functioning.
The sculpture uses only original organ parts and a pulmonary ventilator – a professional medical machine for home care – whose circuit and software are original and weren’t altered to fit the artwork.
Nevertheless the breathing machine is a life saving device and has several sensors and alarm systems to prevent airflow loss to the patient, therefore the real challenge in building the sculpture was to let the pulmonary ventilator sense the organ pipes as a human patient, detecting a resistance (comparable to muscular resistance) when the air is blown in the pipes, to avoid the alarm system to start beeping. This was possible by creating an inner airflow circuit, so that the air provided by the pulmonary ventilator can rhythmically play the organ pipes.
Playing a solitary requiem and generating an artificial life circle without the intervention of the human hand. “Ad lib.” does everything on its own in a contactless dimension where the human will is confined to a mere ON / OFF option.

“Ad lib.” is a sound sculpture that combines a medical breathing machine with an iconic music instrument, a pipe organ, thus creating a hybrid and very symbolic instrument.
A machine designed to provide automatic pulmonary ventilation to patients with severe conditions affecting the respiratory system is hooked up to the sounding component of the instrument most associated with Christian liturgy, the organ. The result is an original music machine that - automatically and without any human contact - plays an essential, mechanical Requiem: the 6 organ pipes play a musical chord, a fragment of music (a reference to the "German Requiem" op.45 by Johannes Brahms) frozen to the constant rhythm of the automatic breath. By activating the breathing machine, the organ starts to play and it becomes a contactless instrument, that incessantly repeats the chord, like a breath repeating on and on. Thus “Ad lib.” can be considered as a sound machine that is “contactless by default”, because it doesn’t need man’s interaction to play, and its parameters are automatically controlled by the pulmonary ventilator.
The work “Ad lib.” submitted for the award was built between 2019 and early 2020 and is the latest outcome of a series of sound sculptures started in 2013. By the time the work was completed, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic crisis hit Europe and this gave the work a new powerful meaning: many people afflicted by covid-19 needed breathing support and the sound produced by the sculpture, a continuous, regular loop of notes following the pace of the breathing machine, became a sort of cathartic sound for this difficult historical moment. Between each chord played by the breathing machine, there’s a pause, a silent stillness that musically enhances the empathy for those who suffer and struggle. The reference to the musical form of the Requiem with a frozen fragment of music, that only allows for variation by switching off the medical machine, suggests that keeping patients in a frozen state of suspense, when it’s not effective at healing the patient, has the purpose of facilitating the mourning of those who will continue living.
The title of the work, the abbreviation of the Latin expression “Ad libitum”, is generally used to express the freedom of a person to act according to their own judgment in a given context. In musical terminology “Ad libitum” gives discretion to the player over parameters such as how many times to repeat a number of bars in a musical score.
The action of this artificial organ raises ethical questions about the discretion and responsibility involved in this mechanical Requiem, a metaphor for a limit that men delegate to technology.
Under its simple and essential appearance, the work “Ad lib.” raises questions over our efforts to artificially extend life by replacing bodily organs with machines.
In the circumstances in which human will can prolong or interrupt the survival of the body “ad libitum”, who is in power when we become dependent on such machines for our biological existence?
The result is an original music machine that plays a mechanical Requiem acting as a powerful metaphor and addressing questions on themes like therapeutic obstinacy, machinic life, post-human condition or the acceptance of individuals will.
This work is the latest outcome of the series of sound sculptures titled “Ad lib.” and it is the result of almost a decade of research, trying to create an original artwork by the simple juxtaposition of two very different objects without altering their original functioning.
The sculpture uses only original organ parts and a pulmonary ventilator – a professional medical machine for home care – whose circuit and software are original and weren’t altered to fit the artwork.
Nevertheless the breathing machine is a life saving device and has several sensors and alarm systems to prevent airflow loss to the patient, therefore the real challenge in building the sculpture was to let the pulmonary ventilator sense the organ pipes as a human patient, detecting a resistance (comparable to muscular resistance) when the air is blown in the pipes, to avoid the alarm system to start beeping. This was possible by creating an inner airflow circuit, so that the air provided by the pulmonary ventilator can rhythmically play the organ pipes.
Playing a solitary requiem and generating an artificial life circle without the intervention of the human hand. “Ad lib.” does everything on its own in a contactless dimension where the human will is confined to a mere ON / OFF option.

tin alloy organ pipes, automatic pulmonary ventilator, durmast wood and plywood
(dim. 159x135x45cm – dur. ad libitum)

tin alloy organ pipes, automatic pulmonary ventilator, durmast wood and plywood
(dim. 159x135x45cm – dur. ad libitum)

http://www.michelespanghero.com/works/ad-lib-2020/

https://youtu.be/Q6xktN37ELE

www.michelespanghero.com

Michele Spanghero (Gorizia, Italy, 1979)
The artistic activity of Michele Spanghero ranges between the fields of visual and acoustic arts in a versatile and yet consistent way, so as to receive the mention as “Best Young Italian Artist in 2016” according to «Artribune magazine». Spanghero exhibited his works in various international venues such as School of the Art Institute (Chicago, USA), Hyundai Motorstudio (Beijing, China), Museum of Modern Art (Istanbul, Turkey), Darb 1718 Center (Cairo, Egypt), Tuileries Garden (Paris, France), Le Centquatre (Paris, France), MAGASIN Centre National d’Art Contemporain (Grenoble, France), Ars Electronica festival (Linz, Austria), Klangraum (Krems, Austria), Festival Tina-B (Prague, Czech Republic), Technisches Sammlungen (Dresden, Germany), Eufònic Festival (Ulldecona, Spain), Vžigalica Galerija (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Italian Embassy (Brussels, Belgium).
He also exhibited in several institutions in Italy, including 16th Art Quadriennale (Rome), Mart Museum (Rovereto), National Gallery of Umbria (Perugia), Bevilacqua La Masa Foundation (Venice), Palazzo Te (Mantua), Temple of Hadrian (Rome), OGR (Turin) and Miramare Castle (Trieste).
In 2008 he has participated in a one-month artist residency program in MoKS – Mooste (Estonia). From 2007 until 2015 he’s been resident artist at Stazione di Topolò / Postaja Topolove festival (Italy). In 2017 he was Visiting Artist at Sound Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA). In 2020 he had a residency a bb15, Linz (Austria).

Michele Spanghero

Monfalcone, Italy