Tocsin #1: for Alarm Bell and Four Nests (1997) by Dan Senn
General
In Tocsin #1 you will be unpacking a box and creating three Styrofoam nests while an alarm bell rings. Then you will be rewinding the bell and repacking the box as the bell rings again.
The piece has a duration of about 10 minutes: one minute to open the box, four minutes of ringing and unpacking, one minute of rewinding, and four minutes of ringing and repacking.
Tocsin #1 was commissioned by the Antarctica group of Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Note: To perform the piece again see Resetting the Piece after the instructions given below.
Step-by-step Instructions
1. Place the box on the floor, or in the middle of a table large enough to have three 1 foot by 1 foot nests constructed to the left, right and in front of the box.
2. With a razor blade release the flaps on the side of the box labeled "open this side".
3. Remove the piece of clear plastic and lean it up against the back of the box.
4. Remove the first square piece of Styrofoam and the oak dowel. An alarm will begin sounding which will last for about 3 minutes and 45 seconds. You must complete the following instructions over that period of time.
Now place the square piece of Styrofoam flat in front of the box.
5. Remove the circular piece of Styrofoam and place it on top of the square piece already in front of the box. Pick out the Styrofoam eggs (not the round balls) and place them in the nest in front of the box. Let the round balls fall to the floor.
6. Remove the next square of Styrofoam and place it to the left of the box. Remove the next circular piece and place it on top of the square piece. Fill the nest with the Styrofoam eggs in the box.
7. Remove the next square of Styrofoam and place it to the right of the box. Remove the next circular piece and place it on top of the square piece. Fill this nest with the round eggs in the box.
8. Remove the next square of Styrofoam and lean it up against the back of the box.
9. Remove the still ringing alarm holding it in one hand while dampening the sound. Quickly remove the red and white wooden beads in the box dropping them on the floor. Close the flaps on the box and place the alarm on top.
10. Wait for the undampened bell to stop ringing.
11. When the bell stops, depress the spring loaded stem and wind it tight (takes about 70 half turns). Release the stem and place the ringing bell back in the middle of the circular piece of Styrofoam still in the box.
12. Quickly chase down the red and white beads and place them in the corners of the box, not around the ringing bell.
13. Put the remaining nests and eggs back in the box in reverse order.
14. Leave the flaps open as the alarm bell finally runs out. The piece is over.
Resetting the Piece
Do not wind the bell yet. Replace everything in the box as it was including the wooden stem (one end has a small indentation into which the alarm stem fits) and the piece of clear plastic. Tape up the open end of the box. Turn the box over, open the bottom of the box using a razor blade and remove the square piece of Styrofoam. With the underside of the alarm bell exposed, rewind the bell (the stem should remain depressed while you do this). Replace the Styrofoam and tape up the box.
© 1997 Dan Senn