Most people go to Boulevard Drive-In in Kansas City, Kan., to watch what’s on the big screen, but this weekend they might stumble upon something a little strange on the way to the snack bar — a two-piece band accompanied by a half dozen or so kids playing music on fruits and vegetables. This weekend will be the second time the duo set up at the drive-in.
Earlier this summer, as Dave Cedillo started unloading computer equipment, amps, and vegetables, he explained his set up.
“The vegetables are hooked up to this thing called the MaKey MaKey,” says Cedillo. “It’s what I like to call a keyboard hijacker.”
The MaKey MaKey is small circuit board that looks like it should be inside computer, but Cedillo hooks it up to a dozen or so fruits and vegetables with alligator clips. The MaKey MaKey fools the computer into thinking that you’re pressing a keyboard button.
A line up of a banana, bell pepper, and a carrot might sound like a spaceship, Fred Flinstone running, or something from a dubstep song.
Cedillo says the vegetables don’t have an intrinsic sound. He could make a carrot sound like anything. That’s in part because it’s not the fruits vegetables but the metal clip wedged into their skins that’s key.
“If it weren’t for that,” says Cedillo. “This thing could be Frankenstein’s head, it wouldn’t matter.”
The computer, electronics, and even the vegetables for Beep Goes The Weasel are paid for by a Rocket Grant. The program by the Charlotte Street Foundation and KU’s Spencer Museum of Art is aimed at bringing art into places that aren’t galleries or museums….
Every Monday is Makey Makey™ Monday here at Adafruit! The MaKey MaKey – by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, made by JoyLabz! Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or Piano on Bananas? Alligator clip the Internet to Your World. MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Find out more details at makeymakey.com or watch the video at makeymakey.com. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between! If you have a cool project you’ve made with your Makey Makey be sure to send it in to be featured here!
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