Project

The Chandelier

Groups

The Chandelier is a large-scale robotic musical instrument that is being developed for "Death and the Powers." Its 48 strings can be actuated both through powerful electromagnets, and tactilely (plucked like a harp or bowed like a cello). With the strings driven by electromagnets, the tactile player can also repeatedly damp strings or create overtones by carefully touching the strings' anti-nodes, creating a new intimacy between players, who play not just the same instrument, but the same strings. The Chandelier is composed of many systems�logic for control of music and lighting, networked servers, and playable interfaces�all built around an elegant, articulated skeletal structure which allows changes to the length, angle, and tensions of the strings. We are currently experimenting with playing it through new types of interfaces to take advantage of its unusual tuning and sonorities.