Blocks that go Boom is an instrument created with collaboration in mind. This piece was inspired by temple blocks, maracas, and the Kunsthofpassage Singing Drain Pipes installation. The intention of the design is to be sat on the floor and played as though it is a child's toy on a carpet. Multiple pillows and mallets sit around the instrument to show that it is intended for multiple people to play at once. There is a variety of mallets, each being made from different materials so that the sound they produce varies. The temple blocks and pipes sit atop a hollow box so that the sound is amplified, similar to the workings of an acoustic guitar. The pipes are hollow and are connected to the base, which creates a bigger sound cavity below. The two boxes that sit on the instrument on their corners are called shake boxes, or little maracas. The shake boxes are filled with buttons and are resting in a cutout of the bigger box. These cutouts serve as a sound hole for the larger instrument, similar to the f-holes on a violin. When the shakers are blocking these holes it muffles the sound, and when they are removed the sound amplifies, creating a variety of sounds that can be produced from this instrument. 

I wanted this piece to bring nostalgia to its players by bringing back the idea of playtime. In the early ages of grade school, there would be “playtime”, where kids would rotate to different play areas, each having different toys or activities to do. I wanted to bring back the feeling of sitting at the carpet in a circle with your peers. As you get older, you look back on those memories of circle time and think about the peers you used to sit with. As you move on from grade school, you realize that some of those people are not here anymore, and moments like those become dearer. Music is collaborative, the musicians will change as time goes on but the music never stops. It’s a reminder of those that used to be. That is what this piece encapsulates, an instrument that can be played by anyone who sits around it, and will continue to play as long as there are new people to come along. 

Blocks that go Boom review if they became a commercial product

The instrument Blocks that go Boom is an everyday item, such as a towel or a broom. People are drawn to it because of its unique shape and because it looks like a toy you can play with. There have been many makes and models of the Blocks that go Boom. Some of the earlier designs were Boxes you can Wack, which was just a bunch of boxes you could whack with a stick. This was seen as “not very sophisticated” and was taken off of the shelves because it was a “safety hazard to be swinging around a three-foot stick in the living room”. A more safe model was created after the recall, the Boxes you can Whack but Not too Hard. This model was a success because more boxes were added and the stick was reduced to only 10 inches in size. Adding the “but not too hard” was also an added protection from being sued when people got too aggressive with it. The models were refined after that, the stick was replaced with mallets; different lengths were made along with a variety of fabrics to change the sound the boxes made. The boxes also changed shape, and pieces could be removed from the initial structure. Future designs are planning on having more additional pieces that can be switched out on the main base, so when you get sick of hitting/shaking one box, you can buy an expansion pack and have three boxes to choose from. We are also hoping to see an increase in size of these wonderful smacking boxes so that they can be America's new playgrounds. Children at recess will soon have the opportunity to whack some boxes at a larger scale. The world can’t wait.

The Process