Sound Boards

This collaboration with John Robert Ferguson is a sound system that uses motorized magnets to create sound patterns on a board or tabletop. Three motors are programmed to propel magnets that inscribes a physical ‘track’ on the surface.

The motion is visceral but small-scale. The sound-world revolves around a series of ‘scrapes’, but there is a surprising detail and resonance, and the magnetic forces add a layer of complexity to what is a relatively simple system. The texture of the painted surface functions as a musical score that gets disrupted over time; this is akin to the grooves on a vinyl record. The work involves live algorithms, this means that magnetic/mechanical agency is augmented by machine agency, and all agents exert their influence in somewhat unpredictable ways.

Links to Online Documentation: process video 1 | process video 2