Deformable Sound Membrane
an architectural instrument
PennDesign | SS/2012 | Critic Simon Kim
Sound creation is an extension of the body. For instance, the haptic nature of the guitar is in direct relation to the sound emitted from the instrument, as the hand’s fingers map notes. Likewise, the architectural surface becomes an extension of the hand, arm, and body. The deformable sound membrane is a prototype created to demonstrate geometrical modulation of sound through the architectural surface. A 36” metal ring was used as a structural frame for a four-way stretch lycra membrane. Three flex sensors were sewn to the lycra which were connected to an Arduino board that sent measured data to a personal computer. The computer received the data from the Arduino via Grasshopper, a plug-in for Rhinocerus. A Grasshopper definition then sent the data via “udp send” to Max/MSP where the data was used to modulate sound frequencies.