Interface Design II is the second iteration of a site-specific sound sculpture by Erin Demastes. The first Interface Design was installed at Calarts in a traditional white box gallery and played with the juxtaposition of what we expect synthesizers to look like versus what they can look like while also fostering play and curiosity and losing the typical user-friendly design. Although this installation includes the idea of a synthesizer beyond the typical box-with-buttons design like Interface Design I, the interface itself has been modified. In Interface Design I, viewers were encouraged to play the instrument in a dark room with flashlights that were provided. In Interface Design II, viewers walk between a stage light and the instrument and discover that their shadows are changing the sound.

This installation consists of ten exposed circuits made with light resistors, exposed wire and piping for the floor and window display, and videos taken with a microscope camera of various industrial materials. Coaxial Arts Foundation 2018. View residency page here.

This residency also featured interactive performances by Eric Heep, Amy Golden, Stephanie Smith, and Dana Carly Eitches and a synth-building workshop.

This piece was also the recipient of the “Best Installation” award at NIME 2022. See paper here.

Interface Shadows by Eric Heep