Calendar

The Window Gallery presents the work of contemporary makers of unusual and newly invented musical instruments, including emerging artists as well as recognized pioneers. The emphasis is on originality in concept and design, recognizing the seminal role of the search for new sounds in the expansion of musical horizons. Equally essential to the exhibits are notions of beauty, craft, and humor.

The Window Gallery is curated by Bart Hopkin, David Samas, and Kirk Pearson. Located at 55 Taylor Street in San Francisco, the gallery is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 am – 5 pm, and during performances.

Email the Gallery Manager for information, questions, comments or to propose an installation.

Support the Window Gallery’s one-of-a-kind exhibits by making a contribution to the cause:

Sound Pieces by Norman Tuck

Thu, Jul 1 — Wed, Sep 1, 2021

About Sound Pieces

Sound is created by vibration. In the works chosen for exhibition at the Center for New Music listening as the various pieces vibrate is as intriguing as watching the source of the vibration.

Experimentation is the basis of my creative process. Occasionally I’ll notice an obscure phenomenon; a pattern that appears when a rod vibrates, the sound of a stepper motor. Curiosity may motivate me to construct an apparatus to explore what I have noticed. If all goes well the apparatus becomes a prototype to be developed until I decide that I can go no further. Then, I’ll either discard what I have made; or give it a name, take its picture, and preserve it in a wooden crate.

The years that I have spent working with my hands have enabled me to work confidently with wood and metal. However, I have no great gift for craftsmanship. Rather, I have been blessed with an ability to create objects that perform in a manner that entertains a viewer for more than a brief moment in time.

About Norman Tuck

Norman Tuck has been exhibiting kinetic and interactive artwork since 1965. He received a B.F.A. in Sculpture from the University of Florida in 1967 and an M.F.A. from the Pennsylvania State University in 1972.

He moved to New York City in 1967 and followed a traditional New York artist’s trajectory of contributing to local group and solo exhibitions. In 1986 his work began to be primarily displayed internationally in science museums.

Tuck was employed as an art installer in New York City (1972-86), and taught sculpture at the University of Minnesota (1978-1979) and Wake Forest University (1986-1987). In 1986-87 he was visiting director of the Wake Forest University Fine Arts Gallery. He has had residencies at the New York Hall of Science (1985-86) and the Exploratorium (1986 + 89).

His solo exhibitions have included: O.K. Harris Gallery, NYC (1974 + 1977); Fashion Moda, Bronx, NY (1982); Art Galaxy, NYC (1984); Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, Winston-Salem, NC (1991); Technorama Museum, Winterthur, Switzerland (1993); The Exploratorium, San Francisco (1994); and Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, NJ (1994).

Group exhibitions have included: P.S.1, Queens, NY (2); The Sculpture Center, NYC; The Clocktower Gallery, NYC; The Kennedy Center, DC; Fundeacion Tiempos Nuevos, Santiago, Chile; Hong Kong Science Museum, Kowloon; Japan Science Foundation, Tokyo.

Tuck moved from New York City to San Francisco in 1994, and his newer work reflects that new, more lyrical environment.

Rod Organ

A Simple Mechanical Escapement

OscylinderScope

Rotate Resonate