The Stupid Orchestra

How can an orchestra be stupid, one may ask? Well, when musically measuring a toaster next to a cello, one device certainly comes across as inherently… dumber. Think 200 vintage vacuum cleaners, blenders and washing machines assembled into a whirling, ringing, humming cacophony of daily function. It's not exactly music to the ears, but a kind of robotic harmony is formed.

German sound artist Michael Petermann has lent a sort of musical anthropomorphism to a whole slew of devices that are generally invisible to people going about their daily life: the taken-for-granted, common household appliance. His Blodes Orchester is translated from German as the Stupid Orchestra, and these poor little robots are kind of dumb... but here they are chugging away, doing their very best to create a symphony for your ears:

From what I can tell (from a very poorly Google translated version of the site), Petermann is the founder of Bunker Noise, a concert series dedicated to the art of sound experimentation, alongside examination of the musical greats: "We are interested in classical composers today, and tomorrow old electric kitchen machines. You will learn what is really called Allegro and why you should not compose any musical work fully to end. You will learn what the human voice is capable of, and because we combine Bach with minimal music, you will experience the most remote music close enough to touch."