Strike the band” is a permanent installation producing an unexpected melody coming from nowhere. Sydney Olympic Park Authority realised that the Olympic precinct was not well defined spatially. They organised a competition to create a ‘marker’ at each entrance of the site. Rather than to add a visual element into a space that was already busy visually, we thought using sound. The idea was taken from the painted bands with ribs that are often on the side of highways. When you drive on it, it makes a sound. The pitch of that sound varying according to the speed. It came to mind that if you space the ribs differently, you could create different notes. Working with the spacing (one length, half a length is one octave) we could recreate a full melody. A specific speed would only give you the right pitch.
Waltzing Matilda was a good tune to place at each entrance as a hymn to the Australian Olympics. Unfortunately, this very minimalist project was never realised.