"scoreLight" is a
prototype musical instrument capable of generating sound in real time
from the lines of doodles as well as from the contours of
three-dimensional objects nearby (hands, dancer's silhouette,
architectural details, etc). There is no camera nor projector: a laser
spot explores the shape as a pick-up head would search for sound over
the surface of a vinyl record - with the significant difference that
the groove is generated by the contours of the drawing itself. The
light beam follows these countours in the very same way a blind person
uses a white cane to stick to a guidance route on the street. Details
of this tracking technique can be found here.
Sound is produced and modulated according to the curvature of the lines being followed, their angle with respect to the vertical as well as their color and contrast. This means that "scoreLight" implements gesture, shape and color-to-sound artificial synesthesia [4]; abrupt changes in the direction of the lines produce trigger discrete sounds (percussion, glitches), thus creating a rhythmic base (the length of a closed path determines the overall tempo).
Credit details:
- Alvaro Cassinelli: concept (smart laser scanner, sticky light and scoreLight) / custom hardware and software (C++, early MAX/MSP demo)
- Kuribara Yusaku: latest software developement - contour tracking & improved dynamics (C++) / interface (C#)
- Daito Manabe: sound concept and sound programming (MAX/MSP,Super Collider) - in progress.
