The Unicursal Fiddle

Year: 2024

Materials:

European spruce and maple

Finish:

Traditional violin varnish, synthetic ink, dry pigment, spirit varnish.

Dimensions:

“Standard” Del Gesu model

Notes:

with the Turing violin I concentrated on design and handcraft as sources of the variety we see in violins – or any man made object. In this “Unicursal” the carving work was mostly mechanised.  The treatment of the wood with color and wear mimicked the effect of age

this fiddle is the second in a series exploring the sources of variety that we see in violins. A broader discussion of the ideas behind this series is laid out in an earlier post. where I suggest that there are four sources of variety in any violin, or man made object, that we encounter. These are:

• Design. The choice of and adjustments to the violin model.
• Materials
• Age. Everything in the universe changes over time. In violins we see the effects of interaction with the environment and the decay of materials.
• Execution. How closely the violinmaker was able to realize the ideal that they had in mind