COCOON
Dec 2018
INDIvidual work
Fabrication / physical computing / sound engineer / lighting design / Performance: Yifan Liu
Cocoon is an experimental musical instrument designed in a way that seems to trap the performer inside.
The whole instrument is designed, crafted and electronically engineered by Yifan Liu.
The interface of the instrument is made with stretchy fabric, which is connected to electronic parts and can be pulled and pushed to control the outputs ( the sound and light).
It was shown at the NIME (New Interfaces for Musical Expression) concert 2018 at the Paper Box in Brooklyn New York.
Each strip of fabric connects to a sensor at its bottom, so that the stretching forces are sensed and translated into electronic sounds and stage lights.
Each strip controls different parameters of the output, either the volume / speed / quality of the sound, or the change in the lighting patterns. The sound and light together tells the story.
Conception
The concept of this project is to use this instrument as a metaphor of some kind of restriction. As the performer, I had to be inside of the “cocoon“ to play it. The playing of the instrument is the process of breaking through it, which is meant to look painful.
Building Process
The making process of this project includes fabrication (wood + metal frame, stretchy fabric, physical mechanism), physical computing (sensor prototyping, wiring, soldering, Arduino-side programming), sound engineering (composing, Max MSP programming) and lighting design (Arduino data processing), etc.
Materials
Arduino Nano, USB Hub, Sliding Potentiometers and Springs, Accelerometers, 12v Light and Power Supply, Tripod, Stretchy Fabric, Wooden Frames and Poles, Hardwares.
