Title:
Repurposing Pop Culture
Project thesis /main idea:
Digital culture is not limited to forward-thinking innovation. Using knowledge and technology
available to us in the present day, we can reexamine existing tools/toys/products and give them new
creative, artistic meaning.
Description of project:
Ryan and I will create several (6-10 potentially) electronic “instruments” from well-known toys and
products. So far, these instruments include a Game Boy, a Furby, a Guitar Hero controller, a homemade
theremin and an Altoids can guitar amplifier. This list is preliminary, and revisions/additions will be
made.
Format project will take:
We will hold an exhibition of our “instruments” and create recordings to showcase our work.
How are you doing / making your project”:
We will purchase all of the necessary items and collaborate to create and customize these instruments.
Once the instruments are built and working, we will record single and multi-track compositions to
showcase their capabilities.
Why are you choosing this format:
Ryan and I are both musicians and pop culture enthusiasts. This format allows us to reflect on products
we enjoyed as kids with DIY, culture jamming aesthetics. Utilizing my artistic background and Ryan’s engineering experience, our collaboration will effectively marry the technological and creative notions of DCC.
What skills and tools do you need to accomplish this?
Each instrument will require a different skill set. For example, for the Game Boy, we will create 8-bit
“chiptune” music by programming a sound card and utilizing the FamiTracker software. The Furby
instrument will be created via circuit bending. The theremin and Altoids amp require gathering small
pieces of hardware and building circuits. For the Guitar Hero controller, we will program an Arduino
and build a speaker. By the end of this project, we will have developed a diverse array of skills and an
understanding of electronic devices that subverts functional fixedness.
Do you already have these skills/tools, or will you need to acquire them?
We already own some of these products, and we will have to purchase others. By looking on websites
like eBay for the hardware and programming tools, we should be able to spend under $200 in total with
proper planning. The same applies for the musical and technological skills necessary for this project.
We may seek help from the DCC staff to guide us through the building process, but we will also
acquire relevant information and skills on our own.
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