PROJECT PORTFOLIO selected works 2015 - 2018
Michalis Shammas
CONTENTS
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Curriculum Vitae /Theory/
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Machine Narratives : Research Thesis /Personal Projects/
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Kyklophonon, a frequency pattern generator : Diploma Project 15
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Kyklophonon II
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Ebb & Flow
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Tree of gears
The C x C : a custom made midi controller series /Work experience/ 35
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Studio Zimoun exhibitions
CURRICULUM VITAE
personal info name address tel e-mail date of birth place of birth
Michalis Shammas Aelbrechtskade 30A, 3022HL Rotterdam, The Netherlands +31 657 210 643 michaelshammas@hotmail.com 30.9.1988 Nicosia, Cyprus
profile Michalis Shammas is a Cypriot born architect, designer and musician with specific interests in small scale design and fabrication as well as kinetic and sound sculpture. He acquired his Architecture diploma at the Aristotle Unviversity of Thessaloniki in 2015 with a GPA of 9,15/10. Michalis has worked as a head architect and exhibition curator during his internship in 2016-2017 at Studio Zimoun in Bern, conducting exhibitions in Switzerland (Zurich), Denmark (Aarhus) and France (Paris). He has presented his own work in several festivals in Greece and Cyprus throughout 2015 - 2017, and is currently continuing to develop his personal work in design as well as kinetic and sound sculpture. He is an Msc candidate in Industrial Design, TU Delft since 2018.
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education 2008 - 2015 Diploma of Architecture (300 ECTS - MArch equivalent) Aristotle University of Thessaloniki GPA : 9,15 / 10 2011 SS Student exchange program School of Architecture | Istanbul Teknik Ăœniversitesi skills computer software : excellent knowledge of Rhinoceros & Grasshopper, Adobe Photoshop / Indesign / Illustrator / Premiere Pro, Autocad, EnRoute, Ableton Live, Max MSP, Cinema 4D, Arduino materials / fabrication : experience in working with metal & wood, CNC drilling, laser-cutting, 3D printing languages : Greek (mother), English (fluent), Turkish (basic) work experience 2015 - 2016 Personal work 2016 - 2017 Internship at Studio Zimoun, Bern Switzerland 2017 - present Personal work live performances 22.11.2015 12.12.2015 8.4.2016 19.5.2016 12.6.2016 30.12.2016 2.6.2017 22.6.2017 1.7.2017 9.8.2017 30.12.2017 27.6.2018 13.7.2018
Live electronics performance at Coo, Thessaloniki Greece Kyklophonon performance at Les yper yper, Thessaloniki Greece Kyklophonon performance at Fasma Festival, Athens Greece Live electronics performance at Viotexnia, Thessaloniki Greece Live electronics performance at Coo, Thessaloniki Greece Live electronics performance at the Envelope Festival, Nicosia Cyprus Live electronics performance at the Gathering Festival, Kampia Cyprus Kyklophonon performance at Revlon event, Limassol Cyprus Kyklophonon presentation at Farma Festival, Kampia Cyprus Live performance at Honest electronics 1 year anniversary, Nicosia, Cyprus Live electronics performance at the Envelope Festival, Nicosia Cyprus Kyklophonon II Presentation at Drivedrive, Nicosia Cyprus Live electronics performance at Stargaze, Kampia Cyprus
releases Polygona EP, 2018, Leerraum (CH) Kyklophonon II Sessions EP, 2018, Honest Electronics (CY)
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MACHINE NARRATIVES a study on the evolution of kinetic art type : thesis project | february 2015 supervisor : Dimitris Frangos
“Machine Narratives” is the title of my research thesis for the Department of Architecture of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, presented in February 2015. In this theoretical project, I assume a critical approach on the evolution of machine - based kinetic art throughout the 20th century, as seen through the lens of the corresponding technological advances of the same time period and their sociological impact. The thesis draws inspiration from works that manage to combine technological and narrative elements in such a way as to give a critical perspective on the technical world itself, with implications on the general paradigm shift from a narrative to a scientific form of knowledge as it gradually occurred in the last three centuries. Artists like Jean Tinguely, Arthur Ganson, Tim Lewis and Theo Jansen are examined, while the notions of narrative versus scientific form of knowledge are based on the separation made by Jean Francois Lyotard. Issuu: https://issuu.com/michalissham/docs/_____________issue
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image: ‘Arabesque’ by Peter William Holden
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KYKLOPHONON a frequency pattern generator type : diploma project | october 2015 supervisor : Apostolos Kalfopoulos
Kyklophonon was initially conceived as an abstract mechanism capable of producing musical patterns, intended to be a part of my diploma project for the Architecture Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Such a device would be the analogue equivalent to the digital sequencer: an artifact that can produce numberless musical sequences through a manipulation of its physical parts. This project eventually led to the full scale design and fabrication of a fully functional musical instrument. With a main body cut out of plywood, standing on four iron columns, its detailed parts produced either in laser cutters or by hand, embodying saz strings, ball bearings, fishing weights and piezoelectric transducers, the Kyklophonon incorporates a number of peculiar mechanisms that can be either manually handled or automated to produce a fully unique, ethereal sound. The working principles are simple: a vertical system of freely sliding strings, tightened by suspended weights, is activated by a horizontal system of rotating discs with attached pins. This contact produces harmonious sequences which vibrate the instrument and are then amplified to become audible. Everything is variable: the notes can change through the strings’ sliding movement on the pulleys and the rhythm of contact depends on the position of the rubber band connecting the discs.
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Kyklophonon : main body / front
Kyklophonon : main body / side
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During its making, this work required an integration of different areas of knowledge and various engineering principles into one working piece. The overall arrangement was shaped through detailed digital modelling, simulations of the movement systems and the possible acoustical outcomes, and a trial and error manufacturing process. At the core of the work lied an ongoing, constant experimentation and prototyping for every different component of the whole. Mathematical calculations were used for determining the frequencies of the different mechanical rotations, and for the appliance of a musical notation system written on spinning wheels. Finally, some work in electronics was necessary for the powering of the movement and the amplification of the sound. This project was also my first deep introduction to actual 1:1 design and fabrication and probably the most multidisciplinary example of all my work. Since the project’s completion and presentation in October 2015 in AUTH, the Kyklophonon has been publicly presented and performed in several occasions, in Greece and Cyprus.
Video: https://vimeo.com/142541512 https://vimeo.com/142547186
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KYKLOPHONON II the second of the strange instruments type
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personal
project
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kinetic
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sound
Kyklophonon II has been designed to be the successor of the first instrument built in 2015. The design incorporates a new overall arrangement and advanced materials such as bronze, stainless steel and maple wood. More precise and solid mechanisms are incorporated, for example the use of a central gear system instead of interconnected pulleys in the middle horizontal level, and a damping system for the string elevators to prevent unwanted movements. The aim was to bring the instrument to a new level in all aspects: functionally, aesthetically and acoustically.
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EBB & FLOW
type
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kinetic
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sound
installation
Ebb & Flow is a kinetic sound installation made in collaboration with Demetris Shammas and presented in exhibition space “Thkio Ppalies�, Nicosia, July of 2018. This work tries to induce and capture a relationship between mechanical rhythm and the effortless drift of natural waves. Gouging their way through masses of sand, these mechanical automata waver on a fragile balance between perpetual struggle and sedate harmony.
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TREE OF GEARS
type
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kinetic
object
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2017
The Tree of Gears is a kinetic sculpture consisting of 7 interconnected rotating metal gears on a wooden base. Perpetual motion is achieved through a simple DC motor and 2 batteries hidden inside the wooden base. This was an originally designed object, made specifically for a local bar/restaurant named “Gear� as a decorative piece. Materials : Iron, red oak Dimensions : 17 cm base diameter, 42 cm height
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the 8 x 8
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THE C x C custom made midi controller series type : personal project | laptop controller | 2016 - 2017
The C x C is a custom midi controller series developed in 2016-2017. This machine is a computer compliant device that can be used as a hands-on controller in order to manipulate parameters in any software that receives MIDI information such as Ableton Live, Processing, Grasshopper etc. There are many midi controllers in the market, but the idea behind this project was to make one that emphasizes on elegant design and materials that are pleasant to see and to touch, which is what the commercial machines usually lack. The first prototype was made with plywood and iron, while the rest of the series is now made with oak wood and stainless steel. This project involves work in electronics prototyping, board programming (Teensy board) and a handful of manual labour. Communication with the computer is achieved via USB.
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the 8 x 8
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the 8 x 8 : internal circuit
the 2 x 8
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STUDIO ZIMOUN EXHIBITIONS
type kinetic
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studio projects sound installations |
| 2017
During my internship in Studio Zimoun in Bern, Switzerland, I have worked as a head architect, project manager and curator of three major kinetic sound installations: 1 ] 435 prepared dc-motors, 2030 cardboard boxes 35x35x35cm installed in Godsbanen, Aarhus Denmark, February 2017 2 ] 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood presented in Le Centquatre, Paris France, March 2017 3] Vibrating Blocks presented in Le Centquatre, Paris France, March 2017 Zimoun’s kinetic sound installations use simple mechanical elements to create architecturally-minded platforms of sound. The observer is submerged into atmospheres of chaotic yet calming soundscapes, their natural complexity emerging from the vast repetition of identical mechanical components. The studio work for me involved conducting research, design and prototyping on such simple mechanical elements from which ideas for artworks could derive. I was also greatly responsible for making detailed planning and calculations for the upcoming exhibitions, as well as leading teams of technicians or volunteers at the site of the exhibitions for the set-up phase.
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image: 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood / Paris, France photo copyrights: Zimoun
Detail, 600 prepared dc-motors, 58kg wood / Paris, France