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Theremin

UAL Creative Computing Institute · 2020 · Concept, electronics and fabrication

Analogue electronics
Light sensors
Piezo
Silicone casting

About the project https://vimeo.com/443358927

Two glowing blue domes on a black table, each above a pool of its own light — The two domes, lit.

An instrument that uses light as its interface, played alone or as a dialogue between two players.

It started from a question about surfaces: how to turn one into a light sensor. A hand hovering over the dome casts a shadow on it, and the shadow sets the tone, so the hand itself seems to be sensed.

The circuit schematic: a chip at the centre, wired out to light sensors and speakers — The circuit schematic.

There is no software, only analogue components, and the piezo speakers make raw, harsh tones. The next step would be mapping light to sound through interactive machine learning, so the response feels nuanced rather than hard-wired.

The circuitry laid out on a desk beside a laptop, mid-build — The circuitry mid-build.

The instrument’s dome without its silicone membrane, sensor and cable exposed — A dome without its silicone membrane.

The dome’s skin is cast: silicone brushed into a cake mould and dried with a hair dryer, then several latex coatings compared for how they carry light.

Silicone being brushed onto the inside of a mould — Brushing silicone into a mould.

Drying the layer with a hair dryer — Drying a layer with a hair dryer.

A row of test domes in different latex coatings — Test domes in different latex coatings.

Next, Marching Band