Homepage: www.baginsky.de
I first attempted to carve a guitar neck around the age of 15. But since I could not find a piece of wood big enough to make a guitar and being attracted by the strange shape of its curl, I chose to make a violin neck instead. I began chiseling on a branch obtained from a nearby forest and produced a crooked funny looking object.
Three years later I began building and designing theatrical sets, which turned out to be an excellent place to learn the basics of wood and metalwork and drawing. But I soon realized I needed a different playground to fully apply my creativity, so I concentrated on furniture and interior design, which allowed me to develop new skills in a broad range of materials.
After a few years in design it became clear that I had to transit into another profession and I made my way into visual arts. Initially I focused on traditional sculpture, carving wood and stone but I soon began to investigate kinetic objects by means of installations. This lead me into building robotic sculptures, which eventually played music and were exhibited as performance or installation. I developed artificial intelligence systems and learned a lot about electronics and soon the instruments started to develop a mind if their own.
Much, much later, being fed up with my job as a science exhibit designer and doing a lot of traveling by train I developed the desire for a small musical instrument that would entertain me during the long rides without annoying fellow travelers. A very small electric stick-ukulele into which I could plug my headphones.
It went well. Already the second prototype proved to be a very playable instrument and I was surprised how easy it felt to make a neck and fret board. And better than on the factory built ukuleles I already owned! My experience with precision engineering and electronics gathered as a robot maker started to come in handy. Next up was to learn about wood… ongoing…
Then I found the can. Castrol Motor Oil – plus a rough piece of wood, some nails, some string. And a young man playing this guitar nicely in a very dry and sandy environment on my computer screen. The excitement about this sound and my love for olive oil led to the invention of the Electric Olive Oil Can Ukulele in 2011.
Nicolas Baginsky
NAB 2024
CV
1961 geboren in Gräfelfing bei München
1979 – 1982
Arbeit als Bühnenbildner am „Theater im Zimmer“ in Hamburg
1984 – 1985 Arbeit als Interior Designer in New York
1987 Gründung der Künstlergruppe „Humunculus Project“
1989 Gründung der Performance-Gruppe „Coax“
Projekt „Archetyp“ (Roboter, Tanz, Musik)
1990 Arbeitsstipendium für bildende Künstler der Stadt Hamburg
Projekt „Coax“(Roboter, Tanz, Musik)
1994 – 1995 Gastdozent an der Hochschule für Künste, Bremen (Intermedia)
1997 – 1999 Gastdozent an der Staatlichen Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe (angewandte Robotik)
1999 Gastdozent an der Muthesius Hochschule Kiel (3D-CAD in der Bildhauerei)
1999 – 2001 Entwicklung von „Public Narcissism“ für die Autostadt (VW AG Wolfsburg)
2004 Entwicklung von „Public Narcissism 2“ für die Autostadt, Wolfsburg
2005 Gastdozent an der Merz Akademie, Suttgart
2007 – 2009 Planung von Bühnenbild und Exponaten des Klimahaus Bremerhaven
2010 – 2012 Entwurf von Bühnenbild/Szenografie für Kunstraum GfK, Hamburg
2012 – 2023 Freie Arbeiten, Entwicklung von Musikinstrumenten
von 1982 bis heute zeigte Baginsky seine Arbeit in ca. 20 Einzelausstellungen und zahlreichen
Gruppenausstellungen, Performances und Konzerten.
Baginsky lebt und arbeitet in Hamburg