Tom Collier | Composer, Storyteller & Creator of Musical Worlds

Singing sculptures made from recycled trampolines

I create singing sculptures from discarded trampolines. Materials that once carried movement, play and happiness are given a new purpose as visual artworks and sound objects. The steel frames are shaped and welded, while the springs and trampoline fabric create new forms of tension, movement and resonance. As a composer, I explore how these reused materials can be given not only a new form, but also a new voice.

White Eagle

White Eagle was my first sculpture made from a discarded trampoline. The image appeared intuitively: I could see the form in my mind and almost immediately knew what I wanted to do with the material.

I cut and shaped the steel from the trampoline frame and welded the separate elements together into wings, body and structure. As the familiar parts slowly transformed into a new creature, I also began to explore the sounds hidden within the material.

As a composer, I wanted the sculpture to do more than simply be looked at. By experimenting with springs, tension, metal and resonance, White Eagle gradually developed a voice of its own. It became the beginning of my series of singing sculptures: visual artworks in which reuse, building and sound come together.

Wish Tree

Wish Tree grew from my love of building and of creating something together that becomes larger than one person. Before focusing fully on music and art, I worked in construction and laid bricks. That pleasure in building is still part of my work: bringing separate elements together until a new form appears.

The tree is constructed from parts of discarded trampolines. The steel elements are shaped and welded together to form the trunk and branches. Materials once designed for jumping and play are transformed into a sculpture and sound object.

Visitors are invited to add a wish of their own. Small bells and chimes are attached to the wishing ribbons. With every ribbon, the sculpture continues to grow, becoming a collection of wishes, hopes and dreams. Just as an old trampoline may have collected years of happiness, the Wish Tree now begins to collect new stories.

When the tree is set in motion, the bells and chimes attached to the wishing ribbons begin to sound. Each wish therefore adds not only to the appearance of the sculpture, but also to its voice. The more wishes the tree collects, the richer its voice can become.