constantine zlatev manufactures harmonious robotic gun flutes

constantine zlatev manufactures harmonious robotic gun flutes
all images courtesy of constantine zlatev

‘in the past, the natural artists worked primarily with natural materials. nowadays, we have mountains of discarded technology. these junkyards are the modern day quarries. and artists like me can make anything out of these resources. all of my recent works are made from salvaged industrial scraps and surplus technology that our society is burying itself in.’ san francisco-based artist constantine zlatev holds these statements as the driving force behind each of his creations. with this mentality, he is able to see the possibility to design something meaningful for the world we currently live in while using remnants of the past. following this ethos, he has developed a pair of installations called ‘the last gun’ and ‘chifte kavali.’

similar to the works of pedro reyes, each of the constructs consists of disabled weapons. more specifically, zlatev has transformed gun barrels into robotic double-flutes, which are played with compressed air. the mechanics are programmed and controlled through open-source electronics using an arduino microprocessor and a raspberry pi board.

full view of the installation

the installations graphically chart and then musically depict the rise and fall of annual U.S. arms exports. the instruments’ aural responses are based upon a value judgment – they are programmed to play scottish singer-songwriter eric bogle’s ‘and the band played waltzing matilda’, a famous song with somber melody meant to convey a strong anti-war message.

data visualization

pneumatic pistons of ‘the last gun’

mechanical valves

flute mouthpieces 

full installation view

‘chifte kavali’ AKA double-barrel flute 

detail of the pistons

arm grip

tubing

solenoid controls 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.