"The Last Gun" Installation (Double Barrel Flute2)

The Last Gun (Double Barrel Flute2) is the next iteration of the Chifte Kavali ( vimeo.com/45427394 ). The musical inspiration for this installation comes from the soundtrack of the movie The Last of the Mohicans, set during the time of the historically decisive Seven Years’ War, a global conflict involving all the major European and North American powers of the time. Though it occurred over 300 years ago, the political, economic, social and cultural ramifications of that war continue to affect our world today. Decisions made now can have significant repercussions for generations and alter the course of history itself.

Inspired by the Native American flute, The Last Gun is built in a one-octave (C4-C5) chromatic scale. The programmable robot graphically charts and then musically depicts the rise & fall of US annual arms exports from 1960 to 2009. The flute’s aural response is based upon a value judgment where a rise in arms exports triggers the flute to play the somber melody of the Main Title from the movie soundtrack. And for every value indicating a drop in arms exports, the flute plays the celebratory primary melody of The Kiss (The Gael). Read Less