New York, 1916

With Hidden Noise
or A Bruit Secret

Original Version: Easter 1916, New York
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Louise and Walter Arensberg Collection
ball of twine pressed between two brass plates
joined by four long screws
assisted readymade11.4 x 12.9 x 13 cm

This Readymade was a collaborative exercise that Duchamp completed with the help of his
friend Walter Arensberg. Duchamp instructed Arensberg to loosen the long screws holding the construction together, place a small object inside the ball of twine, and not inform him or anyone else what it was. What rattles inside when With Hidden Noise is shaken remains a mystery to this day. Duchamp explained in a 1956 interview,

"Before I finished it Arensberg put something inside the ball of twine, and never told me what it was, and I didn't want to know. It was a sort of secret between us, and it makes noise, so we called this a Ready-made with a hidden noise. Listen to it. I don't know; I will never know whether it is a diamond or a coin" (Sanouillet & Peterson 135).

As a result, this piece is designed for action and not just to be looked at.

http://arthist.binghamton.edu/duchamp/Hidden%20Noise.html