J.J. Hegarty and Mikael Fernström create sound sculptures that use electric field sensing (a la Theremin) to detect the proximity and activity of people in public places.
Fernström writes —
“The sensor signals are connected to a computer (MacBook) running Pure Data, where we re-map the signal to various sound files and audio effects. The resulting sounds are amplified and heard through a loudspeaker in the sensing object that (so far) is a stainless steel sculpture.”
Sound sculpture at Gairmscoil Clu Uladh in county Donegal — J.J. Hegarty and Mikael Fernström.
The AirStick is a controller that detects the positioning of a hand using an arrangement of eight infrared (IR) sensors.
Ivan Franco writes —
“Some controllers are based on gesture mapping: music controllers that respond to body articulations performed “in the air”, without any physical contact between a player and the instrument’s body. AirStick is played “in the air”, in a Theremin style. It is composed of an array of infrared proximity sensors, which allow the mapping of the position of any interfering obstacle inside a bi-dimensional zone. This controller sends both x and y control data to various real-time synthesis algorithms.”
YouTube video of Ivan Franco performing at Sonicscope festival 2007.
Sound sculpture at Gairmscoil Clu Uladh in county Donegal — J.J. Hegarty and Mikael Fernström.