20 Ames St.
E15-313
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 253-5027
«directions»
[research]
David Merrill
MIT Media Lab
20 Ames St.
E15-313
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 253-5027
«directions»
[research]
20 Ames St.
E15-313
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 253-5027
«directions»
[research]
[first version - go to video] |
the Circular Optical Object Locator :: Computer Vision, custom analog and digital electronics, mechanical fabrication in acrylic/metal/wood, max-msp data processing and sound generation.
David Merrill, Tim Hankins, Jocelyn RobertThe COOL is a collaborative and cooperative music-making device that is essentially non-virtuosic. In other words, it doesn't require much musical sophistication to play it. It is made of a large, transparent, acrylic disc that can be rotated by hand above a radial array of six colored lights. Each of the six lights represents an independent sound or instrument, so in a sense, the light table instrument is made up of six sub-instruments. Performers stand around the table with handfuls of opaque squares which they place wherever they wish on the table as it spins. The placement of each object determines the pitch of the resulting note. For example, objects placed near the center of the disc might be interpreted as high notes, and as pieces are placed further and further away from the center the pitch might fall. As the disc carries the opaque squares in a circle over the lights, they obstruct the light shining from below. Hanging above the table is a simple computer video camera which looks down on the scene, and through a process described below, converts the images into sound.
[video] (prototype, ~11MB) In addition to being able to control the pitch of the instrument, the 'mode' in which the instrument plays can be changed at will by using two control panels, one on either side of the table. Each control panel is made up of 3 light dimmers, and three buttons. Each of the six light dimmers controls the brightness of one light underneath the disc. Changes in brightness result in a corresponding change in the volume of the sound associated with that particular light. Pressing any of the six mode buttons changes the key and instrument/sound of the pitches being played. So for example, pressing button 1 might result in piano and harpsichord and violin sounds being used, whereas button 2 might result in electronic and synthesized sounds. By using the mode buttons creatively, performers can change the timbre and character of the music they create. In addition to being on display at the Cantor Center for the Visual Arts as a part of the Stanford Community Day festivities (pictures here), the COOL was also accepted for presentation at the second annual conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression held at MIT's Media Lab Europe in Dublin, Ireland. (Read our paper) While on tour for her latest work entitled "Happiness", Laurie Anderson was kind enough to stop by Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) for an informal discussion on music, creativity, and the creation of new electronic musical instruments. Thanks to the work of Max Matthews and Bill Verplank, CCRMA has developed a strong series of classes devoted to the conceptualization, design, and creation of new electronic musical instruments. During her visit Laurie spent time talking with students and experimenting with their final projects for the class. Above, she can be seen playing the Circular Optical Object Locator, a collaborative music-making device designed by Tim Hankins, Jocelyn Robert, and myself. (note - much of this text and some of the images are from Tim Hankins' webpage, which you can find here) Exhibitions: Stanford Community Day, Cantor Center for the Visual Arts, April 7, 2002. |
