I've known Jack since we were both 5 years old. Very likely aided by the fact that his father had a workshop at home, he always had a knack for creating things, eventually winding up studying industrial design in university and working at the national art gallery building the components to display exhibitions. His home too contains various creations of his. Entering, one is greeting with a skateboard rack -- his preferred method of travel around Canberra, where we both grew up. He loves gardening and cooking, and both his garden and his kitchen is overloaded with ingredients.
So when I asked him some months ago what he was up to, he told me he had designed a musical instrument. When he was a child he played violin and later I remember had played bass in a friend's band. So I was very curious as to what he had come up with. He had come across an instrument online which he took as a basis for a design of his own, which, due to its shape, is called a UFOnium. His flat mate is very much into Tibetan Singing bowls, the type that are rubbed slowly and begin to resonate. Though more bell-like, the UFOnium has a similar feeling in its sound. Tapping away at one indoors, the room is filled with a lovely bell-like resonance. The UFOnium is made from two bowl-shaped metal halves welded together, though it can be made from just one. Each of the twelve notes takes considerable time and effort to cut and tune. Fine tuning is done via magnets on the underside. When I made the video the magnets were unfortunately resonating, but you can still get a very good idea of the sound.
So when I asked him some months ago what he was up to, he told me he had designed a musical instrument. When he was a child he played violin and later I remember had played bass in a friend's band. So I was very curious as to what he had come up with. He had come across an instrument online which he took as a basis for a design of his own, which, due to its shape, is called a UFOnium. His flat mate is very much into Tibetan Singing bowls, the type that are rubbed slowly and begin to resonate. Though more bell-like, the UFOnium has a similar feeling in its sound. Tapping away at one indoors, the room is filled with a lovely bell-like resonance. The UFOnium is made from two bowl-shaped metal halves welded together, though it can be made from just one. Each of the twelve notes takes considerable time and effort to cut and tune. Fine tuning is done via magnets on the underside. When I made the video the magnets were unfortunately resonating, but you can still get a very good idea of the sound.
