The Inflatable Synthesizer (2010): sound out of bounds

The Inflatable Synthesizer is a midi controller that takes the form of two clear vinyl inflatable chairs. Each chair is rigged with switches, each corresponding to a note on a 12-tone scale, that triggers a database of musical sounds, each with a different timbre. You play the chairs by pressing against, sitting on or rubbing against the chairs. The Inflatable Synthesizer is an unpredictable instrument: although pressing against the same part of the chair will always give you the same tone, the timbre of the sound will change every time. Besides, the more you play, the more the sounds emitting from the chairs become layered and multiply, until after a few minutes, a strange oceanic soundscape of harmonious yet divergent strands of sound fills the room. In its prototype phase, the Inflatable Synthesizer is moderately mobile, meaning the instrument (or musical furniture, as you will!) still has to be plugged into a socket. In future iterations, The Inflatable Synthesizer, will be completely mobile, communicating with the program that runs it and a 5.1 surround sound system via bluetooth.