Balloon Concerto Drums Federico Picci

Where the original ‘Balloon Concerto’ uses warm and gentle colours to depict a serene meditation on music, ‘Balloon Concerto  – The Drums’ utilises a stark monochromatic palette instead. Soft pinks yield to polished metal, mild yellow sunlight streaming in through tall unobstructed windows is replaced with cooler, diffuse white light illuminating a room filled with highly reflective surfaces of black, white and chrome and all the shades in-between. 

In this work, we can see the metallic orbs being created within the drum set, like tightly packed ball bearings, we can almost hear the sound of them, clanging against each other as they spiral up towards the ceiling or as they race along the tiled floor. Each sphere reflecting a different aspect of the room from its own unique positioning, like musical notes hanging in the air occupying their own unique moment in time. 

Set in a room with classical detailing, the image echoes its Piano predecessor. Like its forerunner, a harmony is achieved in this composition, the elements in the room are balanced and deliberately placed to achieve this almost imperceptible order like the rhythmic pattern we instinctively hear in music.    

See also ‘Balloon Concerto Piano‘ and ‘Balloon Concerto Gramophone‘ in the series.