The music has been described as haunting and zen-like. It can be quiet and reflective to go along with yoga. Other times, it can be dramatic enough to be the soundtrack for a horror movie.
These are the sounds that come from the musical sculptures/instruments created by Beverly artist David Barsotti. The instruments are created from repurposed materials outfitted with piano wires. Barsotti calls his inventions “d’vioelloes.”
Barsotti will showcase seven different d’vioelloes at a free exhibit, “Strings and Things,” from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Joplin Marley Studios, 9911 S. Walden Parkway, Chicago. Barsotti’s shows are interactive — he encourages visitors to play his creations.
Barsotti’s work is at the intersection of sculpture, invention and music. Starting with an abandoned piano and a wooden coffee table, he built the first d’vioello in 2016. It is composed of 24 tunable high-tension piano wires attached to a wooden base that acts as an acoustic resonance chamber to amplify the sounds created by the vibration of the strings.
Barsotti said his initial goal was to create an interactive sculpture that would make musical sounds, and he had no preconceived idea of what the musical outcome would be. Since then, he has become more interested in the musical aspects of his creations.
“The project was as much about the process of discovery and invention as it was about creating a particular sound,” he said. “Since then, my interests have evolved. My knowledge of music has grown tremendously, and I have studied the music of different cultures. Now I am more interested in the way they sound. Each instrument is unique with a different sound. Depending on how they are tuned, they can sound fabulous.”
Barsotti grew up in Beverly, went to Chicago schools and is a Navy veteran. Artwork and handicrafting are part of Barsotti’s family legacy. His grandfather was a blacksmith for the Pullman company and tools and implements. His father, Franco Barsotti, was a photographer. His younger brother Steven works in experimental sound, and Barsotti did some projects with him.
He also is active in the local art scene, volunteering with the first Beverly Art Walk in 2014 and on the board of the Beverly Area Arts Alliance.
“Dave is always the first to volunteer when we need help for building anything or creating anything,” said Sal Campbell, one of the founders of the Alliance. “He’s just always experimenting and enjoys creating and collaborating. It’s very contagious. He’s a lot of fun, and he has had a tremendous impact on the Arts Alliance and our ability to do so many things,”
Thanks to the Alliance and the Art Walk, Barsotti also met his girlfriend Nicole Burns, also an artist, and they’ve been together going on seven years. She is the one who does yoga.
“He would play really quietly, he was doing his thing, while I’d be doing my thing. It meshed really well. All the instruments are a little bit different, and they all bring a different tune and note to the world and that’s nice,” Burns said.
Musicians, too, have enjoyed the uniqueness of the instruments and the sounds of Barsotti’s instruments.
Campbell said when the Alliance holds concerts in Barsotti’s large backyard, “The musicians, everyone, just love to play around with the instruments Dave created.”
Now Barsotti is issuing a “call out to musicians to attend the event to try the instruments to help define their full potential.”
“Up to now, it’s been about the learning process, being able to put these together to see how they came out. It’s been more about people playing the instruments for fun,” he said. “Now it’s time to see what they can really do musically.”
Carol Flynn is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
