musician. Pressure, friction, and manual manipulation of the instrument emerge, then, not only as actuating forces but also as stylistic elements of the piece.

Software. A small camera mounted above the Distaff sends a live video feed into a Max (Cycling ’ 74) software program. Because this project is focused on physicality, no additional visual elements are generated by the software.

Instead, the performer uses a simple MIDI controller to manipulate basic parameters in the domains of time and space.

Whereas traditionally we might see controls mapped to graphic effects, here the image itself is captured and drawn at varying speeds and scales to maintain a direct connection to the Distaff, rather than leveraging computational capabilities to augment the imagery.

Together, the physical interface and software produce a unified visual output that is dependent on the knowledge and skill of the performers and their exploitation of limited resources.

What for you is the most
important/interesting thing
about what you made?

While I’ve performed successfully with a laptop-only system for many years, having a physical instrument has enabled me to feel more expressive and collaborative on the stage. Hyper-

Describe what you made.

As an artist who uses video and other visual media in performance, I’ve sometimes found it difficult to physically connect to my interface (often contained in a digital technology such as a laptop) while also engaging with my collaborators in a shared space during a performance. To address this challenge, I designed a custom instrument, the Distaff, to explore ideas of physicality and collaboration in digital performance. I collaborated with musician and composer Anna Xambó to write an audiovisual piece,

Beacon, which features the instrument. The Distaff itself is a physical object designed to explore how we might be able to take a very simple stimulus—light moving through space— and probe the boundaries of what is possible through engagements with physical materials in an improvised performance.

Briefly describe the process
of how this was made.

Hardware. The Distaff is primarily a repurposed turntable in a custom housing. A performer can insert different lights into the spinning platter and control the rotational speed with their hands and other objects. The enclosure also houses a microphone so that the sounds of fingers, nails, and objects on the spinning platter can be amplified and used by a collaborating

Beacon

Specs Materials: Technics SL-B2 Turntable board, motor, strobe, and pitch control, LEDs, ply wood, repurposed MIDI controller

Tools: Laser cutter, soldering iron, Web camera, 3V batteries

 

→ Turntable electronics (strobe, pitch control) mounted inside custom housing.

 

→ Final build of Distaff hardware, including platter, speed controls, MIDI controller, and toolbox for LEDs and other objects.

→ Build version 1 of Distaff platter underside (batteries for LEDs, Velcro attachments, magnets).

 

→ Final build of Distaff platter underside.

→ Base of Distaff housing, with mount for motor.

HOW WAS I T MADE?