Trashy instruments of Junkestra (photos)

Sewer pipes, deck railings, dresser drawers, saws, bathroom fixtures, and bird cages are just some of the junk that make up the instruments in this odd ensemble.

Leslie Katz

April 28, 2010 5:00 a.m. PT

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Garbage in shopping cart

While participating in an artist-in-residence program sponsored by San Francisco waste management company Recology, Nathaniel Stookey composed Junkestra, a symphony played entirely with instruments made from objects scavenged at the San Francisco Dump.

To find just the right junk, Stookey headed onto city trash piles wearing a helmet and steel-shank boots, returning to his studio later in the day pushing a shopping cart full of detritus.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Sponge Bob's symphony debut

Sponge Bob flip-flops--not typical sights at San Francisco's Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall--will take their place onstage there on May 9. The shoes are used to play the "Godzillaphone."

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Godzillaphone meets shower parts

Shower innards anchor the Godzillaphone, one of about 30 percussive instruments that make up Junkestra.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Pipes attached to foam

A variety of pipes attached to packaging foam contribute to the orchestral whole. Together, Stookey said, the instruments produce "a richer palette of timbre and pitch than anything I could have foreseen or designed."

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Garbage can, tennis ball

Some Junkestra instruments--like this garbage can drum and tennis-ball mallet--have a more explicitly trashy look than others. But despite their origins, the instruments won't be going back to the dump, according to Stookey. "They're definitely instruments now," he says. "They are precious to me."

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Old bicycle tire

In the world of Junkestra, one person's old bicycle wheel is another person's percussive instrument. The dots show the musician which spokes to hit.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Deck railing marimba

This marimba made from salvaged deck railings is played with a variety of mallets. Junkestra, a 12-minute piece in three movements, is always performed with the same assemblage of instruments.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Metal trays, clothing racks

Metal trays tied to clothing racks add to the harmonies of Junkestra, which will be performed at San Francisco's premier classical music venue on May 9.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Sewer line pipes

Sonorous sewer line pipes compose another Junkestra instrument. "Every element of Junkestra has a pitch," Stookey says. As with traditional instruments, the pitch can change over time, requiring tuning by way of a hammer or other tool.

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"

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Flickr/Recology San Francisco, Art at the Dump

Goblets tied to cabinet

Silver goblets taped to the floor of a salvaged cabinet. As unusual as the Junkestra instruments may be, "it's an orchestra piece just like orchestra pieces I write for oboes and violas and trombones," Stookey says. "The way I approach it is just like I approach a symphony orchestra."

Read more in our related article: "Junkestra symphony is pure garbage"