Long String Automation #3

Long String Automation #3 is an interactive installation that investigates longitudinal vibration. Using the audiences movement the machine plays 7 strings that run down the length of the 75ft long hallway. The piece took over the ceiling of the 2nd floor hall way in the Museum School for the Dangerous Waves exhibition. This industrial hallway is filled with air ducts and so the piece was designed to complement it’s harsh acoustics. Eight feet above the audience are seven piano wire stings that are activated by an array of motors, solenoids, and gadgets. When walking through the space, multiple motion sensors causes to the computer to play the strings differently, depending where a person is located. The automation is programmed in QBASIC to control a homemade parallel port relay board. The relays in turn start and stop the motors. The strings are then amplified into the space by various pickups and microphones.
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