How We Made Our Most Recent Creation: The Hands Rig
After much thought, we decided it was time to retire our beloved Telephone Rig (see photo below from Yorkshire Wildlife Park in 2017!) which was nearly 10 years old. But as we pride ourselves on creating Play the Rig installations through upcycling, we couldn’t let it go to waste. Instead of discarding it, we repurposed the old Telephone Rig into something entirely new! The phones and horn were passed on to other rigs, while the sturdy frame and feet became the perfect foundation for our latest creation—The Hands Rig.
Starting with the frame from the old rig, we gave it a fresh look by covering it with musical paper, adding a glossy varnish, and giving the feet a bold red coat of paint. To take it up a notch, we enlisted the help of a talented metal worker to design beautiful bent wire frames for each end of the structure, adding an elegant and sculptural touch. For the middle section, we crafted custom wooden fixtures (also painted red, of course!) to hold all the exciting musical components we had planned.
Now, it was time for the fun part— the bits and bobs! We collected a variety of objects, including cutlery, egg cups, bottle tops and drainpipes, and we even found bed knobs and candlesticks from one of the first Rigs we ever made. With some careful drilling, we transformed the candlesticks and cutlery into lovely wind chimes, while the drainpipes were cut to different lengths to create a pentatonic scale. We mounted them on wooden fixtures and added a flip-flop beater to play with. On each end, we placed two upside-down buckets, turning them into bongo-style drums, and in the centre, we incorporated tactile bottle tops and egg cups, making The Hands Rig an inclusive sensory experience for everyone.
What started as an old rig has now evolved into a brand-new, exciting interactive installation, and was a huge hit at events in 2024! Stay tuned to see where The Hands Rig will bring its upcycled sounds next. ????✨