Constance Demby is an early maker of large [[Steel Resonator]] instruments. She collaborated with [[Robert Rutman]] in the 1960s building various experimental steel sound sculptures at Rutman's gallery "A Fly Can't Bird But A Bird Can Fly". In 1967 Demby and Rutman held several happening-style events that mixed sonic, visual, and performance art centered around big sheets of metal that the artists had found. In one piece called "The Thing", Rutman wore a white cardboard box and banged on Demby's sheet-metal creation with "a rock in a sock." In another piece entitled "Space Mass", Rutman projected film upon a piece of curved sheetmetal onto which Demby had welded several steel rods that she played as a percussion instrument. Rutman later remarked, "We thought it would sound good as a xylophone, but it didn't." ((https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rutman#Early_life_and_career)) These experiments eventually led to her highly idiosyncratic instruments and performance method. \\

{{youtube>ire8pSPvX1o}} 

===Space Bass=== 
The Space Bass is made from large sheet of stainless steel (likey 4 x 8 feet) that is formed into an arc shape and attached to a bent metal rail that is about 3 inches wide. Onto the rail are several 1/4inch steel rods that cut to different lengths and clamped to the rail to tune them to a chromatic scale. The instrument is played by tapping or bowing the rods as well as the metal sheet directly.(details can be seen in the above video) 

==Similar Instruments==
Long term collaborator Robert Rutman's [[ Robert Rutman|Steel Cello]]\\
The [[Jan Heinke|Stahlcello]] made by Jan Heinke, A student of Rutman  \\
Tom Nunn's [[Crustacean]] \\

===Whale Sail=== 

===Notes===

Interview ((http://continuo-docs.tumblr.com/post/37704460417/central-maine-power-music-company-cmpmc-was))\\
Bio (( http://www.constancedemby.com/bio.html))\\
Another interview (( https://dangerousminds.net/comments/space_is_in_the_bass_meet_constance_demby_high_priestess_of_electronica))

There is another artist by the name Marilyn Donadt that has a very similar instrument, is there a relationship? ((https://www.youtube.com/user/JustImagineMusic)) (())\\
Demby maintains that Rutman's instruments are adaptations of her own, they were known collaborators making steel sound sculptures before their own explorations with [[steel resonator]] instruments. \\
What is the relationship to the Crustacean by [[Tom Nunn]], [[Robert Rutman]]'s Steel Cello, [[Jan Heinke]]'s Stahlcello, ect.  \\
There seems to be several large bowed steel instrument makers who are interested in a kind of Cosmic sound. \\