The Shadow Synth is a tangible user interfare for creating soundscapes with one’s shadow. Photocell arrays along the front face gather light values in real-time, and are mapped via Ableton to specific track levels. The relationship between the light intensity and volume is inverse, such that the less light a photocell receives, the louder the sound is. In this way, shadows become sound-generating.

In collaboration with: Annais Jasmin Paetsch, Billy Kwok, Akash Minajan, Salih Berk Dinçer, Tee O’Neill, Nichole Chi, Forrest Brandt

Project for NWMEDIA C262: Theory and Practice of Tangible User Interfaces, taught by Professor Kimiko Ryokai in Fall 2021 at UC Berkeley School of Information.