Marculedu: Wearable Prostheses Turn the Body into a MIDI Instrument
Musician Marculedu is innovating wearable instruments that transform bodily movements into musical signals, effectively using the body as a novel sound interface. His journey commenced in 2024 with an initial kit comprising microcontrollers and sensors. Among his creations are "musical nails," a glove equipped with pressure sensors, "musical hair," which features conductive threads integrated into hair, and a skullcap with buttons serving as controller pads. These devices operate as MIDI controllers, connecting via Wi-Fi to a patch in PlugData. Marculedu's work resonates with Donna Haraway's 1985 "Cyborg Manifesto," blurring the lines between body and technology. His hands-on methodology emphasizes experimentation, merging the roles of musician and instrument as they become part of the body and musical creativity.
Key facts
- Marculedu began experimenting with wearable musical technologies in 2024 using a starter kit with a microcontroller, cables, and sensors.
- His prostheses include 'musical nails' (a glove with pressure sensors), 'musical hair' (conductive threads with a touch sensor), and a face-worn skullcap with buttons.
- The devices function as MIDI controllers, communicating via Wi-Fi with a patch developed in PlugData, and can be mapped to a DAW.
- The prostheses do not produce sound autonomously; they convert sensor data into musical information.
- Marculedu's work is compared to Donna Haraway's cyborg concept from the 1985 'Cyborg Manifesto'.
- Haraway's cyborg challenges separations between nature and culture, human and animal, organism and machine, man and woman.
- Marculedu learned electronics through trial and error, online videos, and forums, burning numerous modules.
- He describes the prostheses as 'cyborg parts' that he imagines could grow on his body.
Entities
Artists
- Marculedu
- Donna Haraway
Institutions
- PlugData