Tetra Jam | Generative Sound Installation | Museumsnacht 2025

Installative Works

The Snare Drum Project

A Performance with 20 self-playing snare drums with lights that are controlled via drum pads and special drum sensors.

SPIRAL

A performance/instrument where eight spring coils are excited with solenoids, controlled by distance sensors and MIDI controllers.

The coils hang from a circular truss. To the left and right of each coil, a solenoid is mounted which can be precisely repositioned. A light is added above each solenoid for visual effects. At each coil position, an optical distance sensor is mounted for controlling different parameters. The setup is designed so it can be separated into four parts for transportability. Sensors, lights, and solenoids all connect to one controller box, which houses the microcontroller, voltage regulators, and power supplies. The instrument can also be controlled with four MIDI controllers, each allowing the setup to be played as a different instrument.

Tetra Jam (Basel 2025)

Tetra Jam comprises eight tetrahedral structures and two buzzers that transform individual interactions into a communal experience. With each touch, the buzzers trigger visual and auditory patterns while fostering collaboration between participants. The lights, in turn, serve as an interface, facilitating interaction between them. At its core the installation features three dynamic models, each offering differnet interactions and patterns.
As participants collaborate, the behaviors of the lights and sounds evolve, resulting in richer and more complex displays. An eight-channel generative sound composition accompanies the visuals, with soundscapes synchronized to the movement of the virtual physical models.

ANNA - Communale OÖ

As part of communale Peuerbach (Austria), the former department store Schmidauer was transformed into a walk-through book: the graphic novel "ANNA" by Mia Oberländer was staged there as both exhibition and performance.

We composed the music and sound design for the staging and choreography. The performers wore 8 Bluetooth-connected wristbands with motion sensors. We developed a custom cueing system in Max/MSP: for each scene sounds were cued on command (as in theatre) but where also modulated interactively by the performers movements via the wristbands. The sound interaction was designed so performers weren't actively controlling them, but rather that sound environment responded naturally to their movement. In the abandoned department store where it all took place, we installed an 8-channel sound system through which sounds traveled through the space also influenced by to the movement.

Outside of the scheduled performance times, the setting doubled as an interactive installation where visitors could put on the wristbands themselves to interact with the sound environment.

Sonolith (Ars Electronica 2019)

A monolith appears to float, suspended from the ceiling, its solid form commanding attention. As viewers draw closer, the surface begins to reveal its secrets—subtle, wave-like movements ripple across its structure, defying expectations. The material seems to shift and transform, blurring the line between solid, liquid, and gas. At times soft, at others fluid, the monolith becomes an enigmatic presence, inviting curiosity and challenging perceptions of physical states. This installation explores the boundaries of materiality, creating a mesmerizing interplay of form, movement, and illusion.