Ornitopiano

This object was developed in 2024 in conjunction with the Companhia de Música Teatral, to be incorporated into the Mil Pássaros installation at the Convento de S. Francisco in Coimbra.

It consists of a series of solenoids which, when activated electronically, strike the strings of a grand piano. The programming allows the piano to either imitate birdsong patterns or simply reproduce bass notes, in a way that is harmonically consistent with the other sounds broadcast by the installation. At the end of each pattern played, the bird boxes attached to the piano emit a recording taken from the workshops that led to the creation of the origami that populate the installation. More information on the Companhia de Música Teatral website.

The system is scalable and applicable to any type of grand piano, controlled by a Raspberry Pi and programmed in PureData and C#.