Let’s Make Music, Strangely
December 12th, 2006
Music, when its performed in a concert setting, has three basic participants: the composer who designs the piece, the musician who performs the notes, and the listener who consumes it. But with a little bit of technology, many artists are fusing these three people into one through dance, creating instruments that take movement and translate it into sound in real time.
Two recent designs, one using boots and the other a bluetooth skateboard, still have people as their centerpiece, even as the gadgets form the musical loops that the participants react to. A project in the works (as judging their website) is for Washington Square Dog Run in Manhattan; giving dogs special collars, their movements around the run will become sweet, sweet sound. Some barking may occur as well.
These artists are by no means trailblazing: famed electronics pioneer Leon Theremin planned to build an enormous version of his namesake machine, large enough for dancers to perform within the instrument’s electromagnetic field. The result would be a complete artistic experience, where dancers create their own ethereal music through movement alone. Sadly, Theremin was kidnapped off the street in New York and never saw his project through.
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