I have decided to incorporate my Sonokinetic Arduino gloves to complement the programmable LED strips in The Ring. This marks an initial step toward a broader interactive audio-visual installation.
The Ring explores the convergence of audience and artist roles within club culture through sonic and visual mediums. It examines how the commercialization of DJ culture and the rise of social media impact immersive experiences in nightclubs, where the focus often shifts from artistry to consumerism. The installation also considers whether the constant evolution of digital technologies might provide an alternative solution through the creation of hybrid art forms.
The piece aims to democratize and decolonize club spaces by encouraging direct audience participation, disrupting the traditional dynamic where the DJ serves as the central focus while the crowd remains passive. Instead, The Ring invites attendees to actively engage, turning them into co-creators of the experience.
Drawing on Haraway’s (Haraway, 2016) cyborgian narrative, The Ring integrates the communal aspects of a club night, affective immersion, and the blurring of boundaries between artist, artwork, and audience. It creates a semi-virtual space where sonic, visual, and social elements converge into a hybrid form, challenging conventional distinctions and offering a reimagined experience of club culture.
Bibliography:
Donna Jeanne Haraway (2016). Manifestly Haraway. University of Minnesota Press.
The inspiration for The Ring began in an unexpected and somewhat serendipitous way. I came across a striking visual of an unknown installation while scrolling through social media. The image captured my imagination, and I immediately thought, “I’d like to replicate something like this.” What began as a visual exercise—a simple attempt to recreate the aesthetic appeal of the installation—soon evolved into a much more ambitious project. As I delved deeper, I realized the potential to expand the concept by incorporating sonic and interactive elements. These additions aligned with my broader interest in creating immersive, multisensory experiences.
The idea began to take form after a shift in priorities around a separate commissioned piece I was working on at the time. Suddenly free to explore my own creative directions, I decided to use this opportunity to build upon the initial inspiration. What started as a purely visual experiment grew into an exploration of audience interaction, embodiment, and the integration of sound and motion.
In September, my friend Matteo Chiarenza Santini approached me with an intriguing request. Matteo was collaborating on a live performance for FKA Twigs and had been tasked with sourcing a pair of simple, interactive motion-tracking gloves for the performance. He reached out to me, asking if I could create a prototype that would meet the technical requirements.
Excited by the challenge, I began working on the gloves. Using my experience with Arduino and similar technologies, I designed a simplified version of an earlier prototype. The gloves featured BNO055 IMU sensors for precise motion tracking and ESP32 microcontrollers for data collection and Wi-Fi transmission. Each glove was capable of sending raw x, y, z axis motion data to a Teensy board, which interfaced with Max For Live, enabling users to control parameters in real-time. Additionally, the gloves supported direct MIDI communication, making them compatible with Ableton Live and other DAWs.
Although the gloves were completed, they were ultimately not used in FKA Twigs’ performance. Initially, this was disappointing. However, the experience of building the gloves and the creative potential they represented sparked a new wave of ideas for me. What if these gloves became the foundation for the interactive installation I had been contemplating? The thought of integrating motion-tracking gloves into an installation seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore the interplay between movement, sound, and interactivity on a deeper level.
This unexpected twist marked a turning point in the development of The Ring. The gloves became the starting point for an installation that not only reflected my fascination with visual aesthetics but also pushed me to explore how movement could shape soundscapes and create immersive environments. What began as a technical experiment transformed into a project driven by the potential to blur boundaries between performer, audience, and artwork.
One idea which emerged from my growing interest in creative technology was creating custom light system which could ad to a live music performance strong visual aspect.
Based on my previous work with programable LED strips and micro-controllers I have made MIDI reactive strips. Strips are circuit-bended floor lamps. Lamps themselves initially contained a chip for automated animations however I found them not very attractive as well as audio reactivity was quite basic. The design on lamps, portability and fact that they contain easily programmable LED lights inspired me to create something new. I have removed the chip and replaced it with 3.5mm female jack so the lamp becomes a part of a “screen” of 7 lamps.
Separate lamps are connected to separate outputs from Arduino Leonardo (contains chip Atmega 32u4 which allows direct MIDI control). Arduino Leonardo is programmed to receive MIDI notes from a DAW or MIDI instrument. Each lamp is a single MIDI note on a scale from 0 to 127. A single MIDI note can contain different colour, different pattern or animation. With 7 lamps we then have possibility of 18 unique series of animated colour patterns on a single MIDI channel. If we need more we can simply program more animations on different MIDI channel (16 in total, so in this case we can get 16 x 18 = 288 variation)
Light patterns can be either played live from MIDI controllers via Ableton Live sending MIDI note messages to the Arduino Leonardo or hand-written in piano roll.
For the live performance of Ona tzar we have decided to create hand-written piano roll MIDI clips so they can be as live light loops together with audio clips.
Light pattern hand written in piano roll – allows the exact timing and respons to the music or sound adequately.
Test of various animations with Ona Tzar’s single Hypnagogia
Test of various animations with Ona Tzar’s single Hypnagogia with aditional strobe lights connected to relays triggered also by MIDI notes
Final video of Ona Tzar’s live performance of Hypnagogia. The first video from coming up triptych of live performances .
