Highly Conductive (2011)
Cotton, Polyester, Knitted Conductive Tape, Conductive Fabric Tape, Alligator Clips, Wire, Arduino Uno, MaxMSP, Amp, Laptop, Spoon
Highly Conductive is the product of my interest in garments and sound. The first thing I looked to when beginning this project were graphic scores. I am very interested in visuals being interpreted into sound. I wanted to create a graphic score that was also an instrument. And I also wanted to focus on the body as an interface.
Performing has never been something that I thought I would be doing. But by becoming part of the interface, I had to become a performer. For me, Highly Conductive is just the beginning of a new exploration in fibers and sound.
I have combined my interest in sound and fiber arts before, but they were always separate entities. With this piece I was determined to make them one. I wanted the garment to produce the sound, to somehow become a musical instrument.
Highly Conductive truly is the culmination of my research and experimentation. This piece shows one aspect of combining sound and fiber projects. From here, I hope to continue my exploration of sound, fiber and the relationship that they can have. The next step in this process would be to make this piece totally self contained with fabric speakers and integrated electronics.
Highly Conductive Performance from Sasha de Koninck on Vimeo.