Composers often try to evoke the zen-like serenity of plant life. What if you cut out the middleman?
In a sound installation piece called "Three Pieces" technicians created an environment that responded to environmental sensors to "play" 12 chimes and a traditional Chinese dulcimer.
The setup was controlled by two open-source Arduino boards connected to sensors which reacted to motion, temperature and soil moisture. Despite its combination ofelectronic and traditional components, the sound produced by thesystem is acoustic, and never repeats itself exactly.
According to Simon Kirby of the Found Electronics collective (via Create Digital Music), "The robots react to humans (and other moving, heat-generating fauna), but their mood alters with the plants."
Here’s Ziggy C. Campbell’s video of the "Three Pieces" sound installation:
THREE PIECES sound installation from Ziggy Campbell on Vimeo.
