Russian Roulette

A game of chance in life – is it shaped by destiny, fate, or created? This project takes a discarded piano, deconstructed and destroyed to give it new life. This discarded piano was shot at with .22-calibre rifles. Sounds of the bullets striking those strings were recorded and made into another sound piece, revealing a haunting and tense atmospheric composition. The remaining piano was then recreated into a new form to configure a roulette. The turning wheel is spun to strike the remaining strings to play a tune, such as we do in life.

The expression ‘Russian Roulette’ refers to a deadly game of chance where one loads a revolver with one bullet, spins the chamber and points the muzzle at his own head and pulls the trigger. Many times we take lethal chances and live ‘at effect’ of circumstances. My investigations lead to reflections on human behavior and how mental conversations shape our lives, and sing to many tunes composed by others. Do we need to feel we are in control of our own lives and choices? Can we be comfortable with the uncertainties life deals us?