theremin900

> gesture tracking
> audio-reactive
> interactive system

Born from an intensive five-day workshop on TouchDesigner led by Laura Arcangeli of the studio Ultravioletto, this project explores the threshold between the digital and the physical. It merges the ethereal sound of the iconic Theremin with the gesture-tracking capabilities of the Leap Motion, creating an experience where movement becomes both sound and image.

The Theremin responds in real time to the presence of a hand, generating a sine wave whose frequency and volume shift with its motion along the X and Y axes. Horizontal movement controls volume, while vertical movement adjusts pitch. These auditory changes are reflected visually: the wave expands with volume and rises or falls in sync with pitch.

A pinch gesture — when thumb and index finger touch — triggers the addition of a second sine wave, enriching the sound. Simultaneously, the waveform contracts on screen, providing an immediate visual cue to the modulation.

designed in 2024
a project by Alessia Lo Preiato, Arianna Faccioli, Giulia Costantini, Gaia Zuccaro and Marta Gulino
supervision by Laura Arcangeli from Ultravioletto