Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Kitundu
Walter Kitundu was one of this year’s winners of the MacArthur Awards, also known as the “Genius Grants.” These awards are given annually to writers, scientists, artists, musicians—all sorts of people who our lives better. Kitundu invents incredible instruments that are part turntable, part something else (harp, stylus, percussive instrument). Sometimes he’s the one in charge of making music with them. Sometimes he lets nature play along on instruments whose sounds are trigged by waves, wind, rain, fire, earthquakes, or birds. He is brilliant.
NPR has a news story about Kitundu and the other MacArthur winners here. Kitundu’s website is a treasure trove of beautiful things. And here is the man himself, in performance:
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