electronic gamelan, 2008
interactive musical instrument | installation
dimensions variable
duration: 2 min
Best exhibition of the year award, Alianza Colombo Francesa, Colombia, 2008
Part of the High Quality Cultural Portfolio, Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Electronic Gamelan is an interactive musical instrument which allows the public to transform the timber (sound quality) of a musical piece, sliding the shadows of their hands over a light-emitting table.
The work emerges out of the notion of the traditional instrument: a sound projecting object meant to be played by a trained specialist. In this case, the object is significantly enlarged reaching installation proportions, making space a major parameter for the work. At its center, the table is the tangible and visual mediator between the user and the electronics; and surrounding the area, an orchestra of nine speakers delineates with sound the boundaries of this intangible architecture. The projection of sound towards the inside of the instrument makes it work as a magnified resonant box within which visitors gather. They may choose to sit at the table to perform individually or collectively, or they can listen to somebody else’s interpretation standing or walking around the place.
Special thanks: Rodrigo Facundo, visual design consulting. Luis Fernando Henao, Camilo Sanabria, music programming. Sebastián González, interactive interface development.
