Chordeograph Augmented Reality

The electroacoustic instrument »Chordeograph« follows one of the most basic principles of sound generation: strings stretched on a large resonating body. In the work, software bots access a resonance profile or a list of resonance frequencies stored for each individual string and trigger tones based on additive synthesis of the resonance frequencies.

A score is composed of different constellations and enables the interaction between the audience and the bots. By moving the arms and hands, the audience can playfully navigate between different resonance constellations visualized in the score and trigger analog sound transformations without contact. The mechanical vibrations of the individual strings become both visible and audible on the instrument. At the same time, these vibrations are enhanced by augmented reality. The elementary moment of playing strengthens the autonomy of the listening perception and expands the conventional musical performance practice. The viewers become active listeners, players, and co-designers of the composition. They open up their own and new perspectives of hearing and seeing and become part of the installation themselves through their movements.

Concept, design, and programming: Gero Koenig
Instrument making: Bernd Alexander Bittmann, Peter Kelemen
Technical / artistic consulting: Gottfried Düren, Georg Dietzler, Bernd Wendt