Wordless Song Without Lyrics

Over the past couple weeks, I have been working on creating my second photosonic project this semester. For this one, the class has been using the Max programming software, an Arduino with a DMX shield, and a piece of DMX hardware with 3 prong outlets where lightbulbs are plugged in. Our task is to create a piece with photosonic qualities in which the lights and sounds enhance each other.

The Max software is a great tool and allows a great deal of creativity, but I am unfamiliar with it and have been learning as I go. At this point in the process, as we near our performance date, I am mostly just tweaking my software. I also need to finish writing the poem that the piece revolves around.

My project uses Morse code as the backbone of melodies and rhythms, resulting in a wordless song with lyrics. This means that although there is no vocal aspect of the song, a whole poem plus some extra words will be expressed in Morse code. The poem will explain the power we hold to tell stories and the accessibility and minimal requirements of communication.

The melody is made up of two notes controlled with a midi keyboard. The rhythm will have multiple sections that repeat. A red and a white light bulb will blink along with the rhythm.

The midi keyboard:

A demo of the project: