Sound Automata Workshop

We held a workshop inspired by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre and built noise-making automata. The machines were displayed at Mindfest and then "performed" during the scratch animation screening at the end of the day.

What were we thinking:

Our goal was to create instruments with a variety of sounds (and volumes) that would eventually work in combination with the scratch animation film. Starting with found objects we encouraged people to listen to them (shaking, clapping, striking and rubbing objects together). When they found a sound they liked we tried to recreate mechanically how that sound was made. We tested the contraption with a motor and a switch.

Once their machines worked, it was time to incorporate a light sensing 'eyeball' (a light sensor stuck in a sytrofoam ball, stuck on a stick) as a trigger.

The session was very short, so Mike and I ended up adding the light sensors and adjusting their Logo program for the Mindfest performance the next day.

Things to note... Except for the motor, we succeeded in building without LEGO.

(We had a variety of connectors for the motor, tubing, cable ties, string, velcro, drilled bits of wood with a 17/64 hole to wedge onto the motor connector.)