henry baumann turns wooden drums into croissant-like listening sculptures

since 2013, berlin-based artist henry baumann has been giving new life to materials others have discarded, transforming wooden cable drums commonly found on building sites into sculptural installations. dubbed ‘2′, the latest iteration of his work is an audiovisual sculpture for which he creates a wide variety of sounds that result in a sound experience for those who interact with it.

‘it is said that you can hear the sea rushing in the house of a sea snail,’ comments henry baumann. ‘this noise could be interpreted in many ways, but its perception is guided by the origin of the listening device.’ but his work differs from this in a way that it triggers diverse associations among the recipients. reminiscent of snail shells, horns or even croissants, sound changes once inside. 2 is built from used materials and uncovers overlooked beauty in the unwanted.

the large-scale objects invite users to take a seat, lie down and use them as speaking and listening devices. the sculptures thus become part of a setting that stimulates people to make contact with one another, becoming a catalyst of dialogue.

giving the sculptures a title and thus suggesting a concrete reading is therefore not in baumann’s intention. rather, the artist wants to create the broadest possible field of discourse; by showing his work, new levels of meaning are constantly revealed, which let his work shine in a constantly changing light.

the artist himself says that he is full of curiosity about how visitors interact with his objects. according to his wording, he would like to watch people spend hours enjoying their croissants alone or together. as is well known, having fun cannot be prescribed, nevertheless baumann has created the best conditions for us to be happy and to keep our ears in and around his structures.