Description

“Zipper Orchestra” is interactive video installation: a combination of the “Conductor Musical Score” as a physical controller and the “Zipper Actions Collage Video” as musical display. Users can play music by zipping and unzipping the physical zipper. The screen is a fashion collage, filled with 9 video clips from different people zipping and unzipping their clothes. By moving 9 sub zippers and 1 main zipper attached in a canvas, users can control the individual zipper motion in the screen as a conductor. The main long zipper will control 9 motions all together. Playing "Zipper Orchestra" enables users to create acoustic and visual harmony with others, and experiment opened erotic sense.

Personal Statement

The idea of this project started from observing peoples zipper actions. For my Video for New Media class, I randomly started to interview people's zipper actions. Without their faces in the frame, they were expressing the freely as being anonymous. They were also creating their own rhythm with the sound of zippers. How capable are they to create music with very common tool! Also, I realized the action of zipper embraces eroticism with motion and fun with fashion.

Background

Using the common object as musical instrument enables people to open their perspectives about the sound from everyday lives. Zippers are common tool in every day lives. Simply, they open and close two parts of fabric. Mostly, they are attached to clothes, bags and covers. It is an easy and quick tool for any kind of object - couch, notebook, camera and human - to change its skin to be protected. Playing “Zipper Orchestra” will lead the users to vision the normal life in to fantastic experience.

Audience

Anyone who can see, hear, and enjoys the rhythem of their arm movement.

User Scenario

Users approach to the Zipper Conductor Musical Schore. As they zip and unzip zippers on the zipper musical schore different pitch of string instrument come out form the speaker.

Implementation

Zippers in Conductor Musical Schore is hand made zipper sensor - linear analoge potentiometer. As the user moves the slider, the microchip collects the readings from 10 sensors and sends to the Max/MSP with in serial. Max/MSP controls 9 different people’s zipper action interview videos. (for more details ->Handmade Zipper Sensor Report)

Conclusion

Through this project, I have learned how to observe peoples behavior in using tools and how to think about the conceptual meaning from those. On the technical side, I have studied how to make soft sensors with conductive thread and how to create interactive video. I hope to see exciting performances from diverse users playing the "Zipper Orchestra".

References

zipper sensor study at Sensor Workshop, ITP(Instructor Tom Igoe):
http://itp.nyu.edu/physcomp/sensors/Reports/ZipperSensor

about zippers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipper