BURSZTYN VII: Flexidra IV

BURSZTYN pays homage to Colombian sculptor Feliza Bursztyn (1933-1982), known for works welded from scrap metal and other waste materials. In her sculptures, discarded objects are clearly visible and remind the viewer of their former functionality, but coalesce into new structures that the artist refers to as “impossible objects.” Méndez takes inspiration from two series of works by Bursztyn, one titled Minimáquinas, and the other Flexidras. The former are small, tidy, machine-like structures with movable parts; the latter are chaotic assemblages of wire that, while static, appear to be in movement.

Bursztyn’s transformations of familiar objects—closely related to Méndez’s own practice of defamiliarizing instruments through “preparations” and extended techniques—propelled the composer towards an even more radical metamorphosis of traditional instruments, in search of “impossible” musical objects. In “BURSZTYN VII: Flexidra IV (Collide, Splinter, Splatter),” a trumpet is taken apart and reconstructed using a bird whistle and a slide whistle. Additionally, the sounds of the piano, percussion, and electric guitar are all modified using a variety of everyday objects that are used to “prepare” instruments in many of Méndez’s works: sheets of metal, pieces of cardboard, electric fans, superballs, and guitar slides, among others.