SoundBlocks

SoundBlocks

SoundBlocks is a tangible environment where young users connect blocks to describe network dataflow. The environment explores digital sound manipulation as a personal, meaningful and fun artistic endeavor, rather than as a venture into mathematical, electronic or networking relationships.

Lead by their own curiosity, children can design their own sounds by exploring SoundBlocks. In doing so, they will indirectly learn about networks, mathematics and hardware synthesizers and sequencers. The environment will shift the child’s focus from the product of creation to the process of creation.

SoundBlocks was part of my Master’s Thesis at MIT’s Media Laboratory. I built SoundBlocks collaborating with colleague Andrew McPherson.

Similar Posts

  • TV Mountain

    TV Mountain is an art piece which was initially installed as part of TechArtICT’s Dreamgrass installation at Exploration Place Fall 2022. It consisted of 12 TVs at various angles and orientations, together forming a jumbotron. As part of Dreamgrass, it subjected faceless child-like objects to a litany of 80s commercials. The working remote enjoyed a…

  • The Incubator

    The Incubator is an art piece which was initially installed as part of TechArtICT’s Dreamgrass installation at Exploration Place Fall 2022. Within the installation it was the machine where faceless children were created and indoctrinated. A Center TV displayed a teleprompter which offered encouragement for viewers to become participants, reading into a microphone placed at…

  • Still Life

    In 2011, as part of Hack.Art.Lab, I collaborated with composer Mary Ellen Childs and percussionist Michael Holland to create live animation triggered by live performance of Mary Ellen Childs’ composition “Still Life.” We analyzed the piece into 11 sections and created algorithmic video triggered by sound and motion to match each of the 11 sections. The video was projected…

  • Ballet Wichita: Innovations

    As part of the Ballet Wichita’s Innovations performance April 2024 I teamed up with Wichita State University’s Shocker Studios to track a dancer live, reinterpreting their motions on a stage-sized display behind them. Wichita State University’s Fairmount String Trio accompanied the dance, performing Dohnányi’s Serenade. To track the dancer we used 3 Vive 3.0 trackers…