An unusual looking instrument, this series of wires is inspired by a pig.
The "Styharp" is an element of British musician Matthew Herbert's musical document of the life of one pig - from it's birth on a local farm to its death six months later.
SOUNDBITE Musician Matthew Herbert, saying (English):
"It's a series of strings you can pull. It looks like a sty. The idea is that you can trigger memories of the pig. So all the pig's noises are generated by that central part."
Herbert says he wanted to explore what it would be like to celebrate the life of an animal reared solely for meat production.
SOUNDBITE Musician Matthew Herbert, saying (English):
"We treat pigs incredibly badly. Ninety per cent of pork is produced in hideous conditions, so it was important that that changed. But I don't want to see pigs just as meat - I think that's part of the problem. I want to see it as a life and remembering that life as well and not just thinking of it as a resource for our use."
His album, "One Pig", is made up of recordings of the pig and songs inspired by the pig and was partly recorded using instruments made from the pig's bones, as well as a drum made from its skin.
SOUNDBITE Musician Matthew Herbert, saying (English):
"We have candles made from fat and candelabra made from the trotters. We had some paint made from the pig's blood. And even though it died nearly two years ago, it's still here, we're still talking about it, so I like the idea of it being something of a remembrance."
Herbert says it was important to him that the pig was reared on a farm with high animal welfare standards.
He ate pork throughout the process of making the album, including parts of his own pig, but says he hasn't been able to face eating pork since.
Animal rights group People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals has been critical of the project, saying it doesn't agree with killing animals for appetite or art.
Critics have been kinder, saying "One Pig" is thoughtful and provocative and hailing Herbert as a pioneering musician.
Nickie Omer, Reuters.
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