A black female security guard plays with a MIDI controller. Besides her is Jay Afrisando. Both smile. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
Exploring the Music of Your Office
when office objects make sound
Feeling bored in your office? Want something fun to do over the lunch hour? This interactive workshop turns office objects into musical instruments you can play. See how a clacky computer keyboard, a cacophonous external hard drive, a scratchy notebook, an old mobile phone, and other everyday objects can be amplified and processed to create music. This workshop invites people of all ages to explore the world of sound of everyday objects around us.
Visit this link to see the photos and video excerpts of the installation.
Work details
Year created: 2019
Medium: various office objects, contact microphones, live electronic processing, and stereo audio
Created as a part of the 5th season of the Landmark to Lowertown 2019—weekday performances of new music held in the beautiful public places of downtown Saint Paul—by the American Composers Forum.
Exhibition
Landmark to Lowertown 2019, George Latimer Public Library and Union Depot, St. Paul, MN, US, 7 - 8 May 2019.
Two male teens are at the workshop table. One is playing with a MIDI controller, while another one smiles at the camera. Jay Afrisando observes the workshop. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
Two female adults are at the workshop table. One of them plays with an aluminum bottle. Jay Afrisando guides the workshop. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
An elderly couple is at the workshop table. The wife plays with a MIDI controller. Jay Afrisando observes the workshop. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
An elderly couple is at the workshop table. The wife places a contact microphone on her neck while she voices something. The husband and Jay Afrisando observe the workshop. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
A male is at the workshop table and holds a white mug. Jay Afrisando holds an aluminum bottle. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.
Jay Afrisando’s right hand controls a MIDI controller’s knob. His laptop, in front of him, displays some codes. Photo: Jim Nihart. Event: Landmark to Lowertown 2019.