![[OLD FALL 2019] 15-104 • Introduction to Computing for Creative Practice](wp-content/uploads/2020/08/stop-banner.png)
The Cycling wheel project, by Hong Kong based practice Keith Lam, Seth Hon and Alex Lai, takes the concept of Marcel Duchamp’s famed bicycle wheel, in his readymade explorations, and transforms it into a generative light and sound instrument. In order to turn it into this interactive performance art piece, it uses Processing to create a specially made control panel configuration that functions on three levels: controlling music, movement, and LED lights. The processes take the movement of the bicycle wheel and uses it to generate a variety of sounds that are augmented by the control panel computation. The result is a magical interplay of light, music, art, and computation that makes for quite a spectacular interactive art piece. It makes me think of ways that other physical movements can be translated into dynamic soundscapes, a concept similar to what I tried to do for this week’s project. It is also interesting to consider how a variety of different sounds can be layered to produce an immersive soundscape experience, as this orchestral performance demonstrates.
