Erwin Stache (* 1960) received piano and organ lessons and studied physics and mathematics. He has been a freelance musician, composer and sound-object constructor since 1983. From 1985 to 2001 he was an organist in Beucha (nr. Leipzig). He has been a member of the governing board of the Leipzig Free Academy of the Arts since 2003. Among his awards and scholarships are Musik kreativ, the Gellert Prize and Kinder zum Olymp. ? www.erwin-stache.de

'It's not only the sound of everyday things, objets trouvés or industrial waste that interests me, but their form, structure and history. They give me various points of departure for building a sound-sculpture or a new instrument.'

(Erwin Stache)

Erwin Stache seems to love the poetry of simple things. His artistic work is devoted to developing and building electro-acoustic and mechanical devices. They come in various sizes, from miniature objects to large-scale mechanical orchestras. His smallest work is a stage piece inside a carton ? the universe in a box. Upholstered in black satin, wondrous sounds emerge from the casket. Pitch, tempo, timbre and volume are controlled by lifting and lowering the lid ? a technique resembling musical birthday cards. Nothing happens unless the action is carried out. Stache, an artist and builder of objects, has already produced a number of such objects. They resound and move. They dance through the room. They're controlled via mechanical elements such as hinges, lids or grates that become instruments when connected to activators and resonant space ? that is, natural amplifiers. Small and large boxes: they stand for contrasting pitches and noises, just as with instruments. more