A Timeline of Tod’s Revolutionary Hyperinstruments
Story by Cheryl Chew
Tod Machover, known world-over for his many musical inventions, was the keynote speaker at Singapore’s Music Matters Festival. Read on to know more about his numerous claims to fame…
The Vision
As a composer, Tod’s desire to empower individuals wanting to integrate expressive human elements into performances led to the invention of some novel, interactive media products, called Hyperinstruments.
Originally designed to augment natural music instruments, hyperinstruments were frequently used by many distinguished musicians, For example, world- renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s cello produced the sound of an orchestra with the aid of these tools.
Later inventions like the Sensor Chair ( a chair with sensors that transform movements of people into sound) had larger mass appeal. Part of the chair’s popularity was a result of Machover’s belief that it could detect supernatural beings by ‘sounding out’ their location.
Pushing Boundaries
Presently, Matchover is working on an online platform for the hit NYC show, “Sleep No More”. In the actual live show, members of the audience wear masks while exploring a dynamic environment with multiple rooms. In Matchover’s online version, participants will also have to wear masks, and their computers will let them interact with the show’s live audience.
For example,if an online participant types something into his computer, that comment may appear on a typewriter in the real-time show. Machover calls this “Remote Theatrical Immersion”, where every individual leaves with a completely different experience.
Machover’s ability to mould external expression around the dynamics of our inner perceptions challenges many things we often take for granted. Have we all truly harnessed the potential of our inner being to achieve what we want in the real world? Only time will tell…
