Devices

2016 - ongoing

Work in progress.

The 'Devices-project' started as an exploration of the role of electronics in art-pieces by experimenting with different methods of using electronics in experimental sound- and light-devices. It soon transformed in a project that includes artistic documentation, interface design, experimental scores, animations and sound-performances. The whole project combines unexpected and unfamiliar elements with recognisable everyday interfaces. From which it tries to introduce the audience to electrical principles, by tempting them to explore experimental art-devices.

‘Art-device’ is a term that I invented for these experimental electronic objects. I usually define them as objects that produce light or sound and can be composed with, controlled or influenced by a user. Art-devices are closely related to instruments, both the musical and scientific kind, referring to their ability to transform an input-signal into a different type of data.

As instruments have to be played to show their full possibilities, I started to develop sound-performances. These sound performances serve as a demonstration of one possible way to use the devices and as an exploration in creating sound compositions with unusual instruments. From these sound-performances, I hope that audience members become interested in trying to play the devices by themselves.

See 'Sound' and 'Instruments' for more info!

The devices:

Reso: Experimental instrument that uses the noise of a stepper motor as a sound source. The motor, controlled by an oscillator, creates different frequencies for dif- ferent speeds. Based on the idea of appropriating (annoying) noises made by electri- cal appliances as compositional material. It also includes a paper boat.

Lamp: Portable Arduous Light Device. A device that enables the user to generate light by turning a knob, which takes more effort than would be desirable.

CardBox: Potentiometer-controlled sound instrument using Arduino as a digital oscil- lator. The programmed micro-controller creates different frequencies and sound pat- terns. Its current programming uses additive synthesis with a shimmer effect.

Rick: A rock-device with more than just a visual identity, it also possesses the ability to transform sound. By switching between different capacitor values and changing the resistance with the potentiometer and fader, the output signal can be in u- enced. The included presets range from pulsating to timbral changes. The electron- ics are inspired by an original schematic from Nicolas Collins.

Phynth: When analog telephony was still the standard, phone numbers were com- municated from consumers to operators via combinations of sine waves or pulse sequences. Nowadays telephony has been digitised and dial tones have become obso- lete. The dial tones that are still present in mobile phones are only a reminder of an old-fashioned system. Phynth is an extended digital version of a dial tone generator, purely meant as sound device.

StepSeq: A four-step-sequencer that uses a stepper-motor as sound-source. An ad- ditional feature of using rotation as sound is that a rhythm can be simultaneously generated with a melody. The physical interface is inspired by classical synthesiser design, while the sound generator is far from common.

Exhibited at Galerie AMU (Prague, CZ), Supermarket Art Fair (Stockholm, SE), Tekniiknan Museo (Helsinki, FI), DASH-festival (Helsinki, FI) and the Harald Herlin Learning Centre (Espoo, FI).

Sound performances at STEIM (Amsterdam, NL), Vapaan Taiteen Tila (Helsinki, FI), SMC2017 (Espoo / Helsinki, FI), Titanik (Turku, FI), Galerie AMU (Prague, CZ), Third Space (Helsinki, FI), Tekniiknan Museo (Helsinki, FI), DASH-festival (Helsinki, FI) and A-space (Espoo, FI).