Rob Funkhouser
Vox Metali
-86.141111, 39.746306“Vox Metali” is a musical response to the historic Leedy Factory Building at the corner of Barth and Palmer in the Indianapolis neighborhood of Fountain Square, which was home to the Leedy Drum Company from 1903 to 1930. This period was pivotal in American musical history, witnessing the development of the drum set into a respected instrument, becoming a staple in vaudeville and silent films before anchoring popular music. Leedy was at the forefront of percussion design and manufacturing, introducing innovations like adjustable drum hardware and bass drum pedals that shaped the modern drum set. The factory was also the site of two iconic developments: the construction of Purdue’s World’s Largest Bass Drum and the invention of the vibraphone. The Purdue bass drum, a 7-foot diameter, 500-pound instrument requiring massive cowhides, achieved mythological status, with tales of its powerful sound causing disturbances and even a small riot at its first public unveiling. The company’s strategy also allowed Herman Winterhoff the freedom to experiment, leading to the creation of the vibraphone by combining a steel marimba with a modified vox humana pipe organ effect. The vibraphone would play a major role in jazz throughout the 20th century. In “Vox Metali,” Funkhouser engages in a conversation with the past, exploring how our actions today might become the myths of the future.
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Duration: 11:06
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Year: 2025
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Commissioned by: 16 Tech