The "CONTAINER MAN" is a 40'L x 9'W x 11'H sound sculpture. To reflect our modern hi-tech, mechanical, mobile, multi-faceted, experiential, multi-sensory environment, the sculpture uses a shipping container as its skeleton & skin, and industrial machinery parts as its organs. Each organ is a musical instrument. As a whole, it is an electronic orchestra. Its space, with a 22' opening in the center, can be "entered" and allows audience interaction. It also functions as a mobile stage for concerts/performances.
BACKGROUND
The Project was conceptualized by Yin Peet in 1997. The sculpture "body" was developed collaboratively by Viktor Lois and Yin Peet beginning in 2000 with funding from Taiwan (including National Arts & Culture Foundation, TMC Semi-conductor Corp., National Cultural Council). For 4 years while they continued to develop the sculptural form, they also refined the Project's concept to maximize human interaction between the sculpture and the music that would be created from it. Their concept was to put the Container Man's "Fate" in the hands of artists from different cultures around the world. The grand idea is to produce different kind of music in different country, from Experimental Metal and Rock to Folk to "experimental" Classical.
In Dec. 2002, Lois and Peet staged 16 theatrical performances in 7 cities in Taiwan with Tainanjen Theatre Troupe, and in Feb. 2004, again they staged concert with 14 Taiwanese musicians in ChiaYi City. Both events helped the Container Man reach its current level of maturity, and it is now ready for its international debut.
The Container Man Project has entered its second phase. In this global touring phase, the artists wish to portray the tempo of modern Humanity through international collaborations, multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary dialogue and diverse creative expressions, and eventually they hope to promote global, cross-cultural understanding.