At Carleton College, all students are expected to complete a final project for their major during their senior year. For my project, I worked with a group of five to create an art installation using a network of distance, color, and vibration sensors. The different sensors modulated the output of the installation in different ways.

The four distance sensors represented four different instruments all playing different notes on a pentatonic scale depending on the distance from the sensor. The vibration sensor detected movements on a nearby stairwell, playing different sounds of a storm depending on the intensity of vibration. Finally, the color sensor changed the screen visualization as well as the musical key the different notes from the distance sensor were played in. The parameters of these different sensors were only partially outlined at the site of the installation, encouraging visitors to play and experiment to discover the different “rules” governing the sensors.

A graphic explaining the location of the sensors:

Footage of students discovering the installation for the first time: