In Arthur C. Clark's Space Odyssey, the first generation of The Monolith triggered shifts in the evolution of man by encouraging tool development and space travel. Appearing at first glance to be similar, this 11 foot high black slab is the first in a new series of Monoliths that fosters user-generated evolution through interactive and collaborative tools, both musical and visual.
Monolith 2.0 will be the size of the first two Monoliths found by humans - TMA-0 (the prehistoric one) and TMA-1 (the one on the moon). Specifically, 11 feet high. The depth x width x height dimensions of a monolith need to be in the ratio 1 x 4 x 9, so that makes the depth 15 inches and the width 60 inches (approximately). The pictures at the bottom of this page show the design. A steel base will anchor the installation and brace it against the wind, which of course will be considerable against a solid flat structure of 55 square feet. A structural engineer was enlisted to help with the calculations, and the structure is designed to withstand 90mph winds. The base support will be built from 3-1/2" square steel tube welded together with full penetration welds. The 3-1/2" tube base will be buried so that it is not visible. The total amount of playa displaced will be perhaps 1.5 cubic feet - well under the 3 cubic feet limit accorded by playa installation guidelines. 4x4 wood posts will be bolted to the steel base - at least 9 bolts per post, according to the structural calculations. Several internal braces made of wood will be attached to these posts, and plywood will be used to cover the surface of the monolith. Textured paint will provide a consistent surface for the monolith, which will be all black.
The musical interface of the monolith will be several velocity and presure-sensitive pads and multitouch surfaces on which humans can tap and gesture to produce music in various forms. There will be two identical sets of controls, so that people will be encouraged to play together. Often the music will be automatically looped, filtered, and quantized, so the results will be typically rhythmic and melodic. Other modes of the interface (selectable by buttons and revealed by small LCD displays) will be more freeform. The software behind the system will be custom software developed specifically for this installation - I have significant experience in this area.
The visual interface of the monolith will be a blackboard, possibly with a frame and (fake) chalk tray, mounted on the other side. Multicolored chalk and erasers will be provided, placed in a box of some sort to avoid being blown around. Playa humans will be free to draw (and erase) whatever they like. There's no telling what people will create, but it's very likely to be consistently interesting, and almost as ephemeral as the music created on the other side.
Here's a picture of Monolith 2.0 showing the frame and the completed look with music controls in the side. The supports will be buried and not visible. As mentioned above, the playa displaced will be well under the 3 cubic foot limit. Some of the internal braces will likely change in minor ways. 4-foot rebar (at least four per side) will be used to anchor the steel base.
