Introduction: The Musical Organon
The Musical Organon from James Macpherson on Vimeo
.For centuries, buskers and street performers have attempted to draw in crowds to view - and in some cases interact with - their performances. Mimicking this relationship, we created a standalone interactive performance piece that we call “The Musical Organon.”
This device tries to entice passers-by, giving them an opportunity to physically interact and create their own music. Similar to Chinese traditional peep shows, the “Musical Organon” uses musical sounds to draw the crowds in, once the crowd is interested they then go ahead with the real show. The “Musical Organon” blends both the traditional instruments and modern technology; wires and motors have replaced the traditional strings and hooks. The technology gives the machine its own mind and therefore removes the need for a performer.
The “Organon” drops balls from the top of the machine down a series of ramps and tubes, which then hit symbols and bells on the way, much like in a Rube Goldberg machine, dropping down different trap doors so each can creates a different sound. This gives the user a sense of personalisation as they can create their own music.
Our future hopes for “The Musical Organon” are to branch out to a permanent street slot. We would also like to fully automate the machine so that I can be left on the street and will awaken between the peek hours of the day. Much like the device “Cybraphon” by “FOUND” we would like to incorporate a sort of personality to the “Organon”.
For more information on how we made the "The Musical Organon" check out or blog: http://thepyrotechnics.wordpress.com/
.For centuries, buskers and street performers have attempted to draw in crowds to view - and in some cases interact with - their performances. Mimicking this relationship, we created a standalone interactive performance piece that we call “The Musical Organon.”
This device tries to entice passers-by, giving them an opportunity to physically interact and create their own music. Similar to Chinese traditional peep shows, the “Musical Organon” uses musical sounds to draw the crowds in, once the crowd is interested they then go ahead with the real show. The “Musical Organon” blends both the traditional instruments and modern technology; wires and motors have replaced the traditional strings and hooks. The technology gives the machine its own mind and therefore removes the need for a performer.
The “Organon” drops balls from the top of the machine down a series of ramps and tubes, which then hit symbols and bells on the way, much like in a Rube Goldberg machine, dropping down different trap doors so each can creates a different sound. This gives the user a sense of personalisation as they can create their own music.
Our future hopes for “The Musical Organon” are to branch out to a permanent street slot. We would also like to fully automate the machine so that I can be left on the street and will awaken between the peek hours of the day. Much like the device “Cybraphon” by “FOUND” we would like to incorporate a sort of personality to the “Organon”.
For more information on how we made the "The Musical Organon" check out or blog: http://thepyrotechnics.wordpress.com/
Participated in the
Woodworking Challenge
