Touchology is an kinetic sculpture that explores a new wave of music where instruments’ respond to expressive interactions. Touchology reacts to the audience’s gestures creating an emergent soundscape through the movement of each module, which also acts as the unit of the visual-scape. Touchoulogy is a newkind of dream machine that mesmerizes the viewer, soothing them with molecules of sound and movement.


The soft white noise drumming pattern can be influenced through a series of custom-made capacitive sensorsthat are embedded in each module. These sensors, react to the audience proximity, therefore translatingsubtle hand movements into digital controls for the antennae.
The audience can create their own soundscape, modulating the intensity of the instrument, creating new rhythms, producing harmony by synchronising the modules or introducing more randomness; thus becoming a composer, interweaving their tact with randomness and emergence.


Touchology was created using a mix of digital fabrication techniques and handcraft. It is controlled by open hardware electronics which were customized to sense both the user’s touch and proximity, and to control the kinetic system.



This artwork was exhibited at Science Gallery “Sound Check”.