The Musical Organon is an interactive performance piece that
changes the way people interact with street performance, achieved through a
series of sound interactions.
“Is there a way to
make street performances more interactive?”
For centuries, buskers and street performers have attempted
to draw in crowds to view - and in some cases interact with - their
performances. Mimicking this
relationship, we created a standalone interactive performance piece that we
call “The Musical Organon.”
This device tries to entice passers-by, giving them an
opportunity to physically interact and create their own music. Similar to
Chinese traditional peep shows, the “Musical
Organon” uses musical sounds to draw the crowds in, once the crowd is
interested they then go ahead with the real show. The “Musical Organon” blends both the traditional instruments and
modern technology; wires and motors have replaced the traditional strings and
hooks. The technology gives the machine its own mind and therefore removes the
need for a performer.
The “Organon”
drops balls from the top of the machine down a series of ramps and tubes, which
then hit symbols and bells on the way, much like in a Rube Goldberg machine,
dropping down different trap doors so each can creates a different sound. This
gives the user a sense of personalisation as they can create their own music. 
Our future hopes for “The
Musical Organon” are to branch out to a permanent street slot. We would
also like to fully automate the machine so that I can be left on the street and
will awaken between the peek hours of the day. Much like the device “Cybraphon” by “FOUND” we would like to incorporate a sort of personality to the “Organon”.
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