Tower of Babel

Multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer, conceptualiser and director of many unique performing arts projects, Adam Simmons (1970- ) is also the author of interactive sound objects, which he calls sculptural assemblages. One of these is the Tower of Babel, exhibited at the National Museum in Szczecin as part of the international SMS/Szczecin-Melbourne-Szczecin project (2010). Simmons' idea for music boxes was inspired by his previous musical experiences and his desire to involve the audience in the creative process. Sound is an integral part of his objects. It complements their physicality and invites interaction, acting as a medium between artist, viewer and work. The music box tune was composed by Simmons, but the interpretation, performance and final form of the work is left to the spectator-performer. The tempo, timing of the music, or order in which the combined mechanisms are used is entirely up to the performer. An additional layer of interpretation is provided by the perforated strips of paper that accompany the music boxes, with notations of seemingly random musical material. Adam Simmons holds a Bachelor of Music Performance (Improvisation) from the Music Department of the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. He has always been interested in social interaction and building community around his projects. "Through performances with my ensembles (...) and as artistic director of festivals (...) I have seen first-hand how music and art can bring people together through shared, transformative experiences." The belief that social interaction is an important factor in health and well-being also underpins another of Simmons' projects, The Usefulness of Art, which aims to build community through arts events, supporting artists and sharing experiences. This initiative, and Simmons' work in general, is guided by the words of Auguste Rodin, who said in his book: Rodin on Art and Artists, that to be an artist is to derive pleasure from one's work, and that anything that brings happiness is considered to be useful. Marlena Chybowska-Butler