The Next Verse: Raspberry Pi at the V&A Museum #piday #raspberrypi @Raspberry_Pi #Art
An maker inspired exhibit was on display at the V&A Museum in London. The artist Stewart Francis created an interactive experience using embroidery, conductive thread and a Raspberry Pi. He literally tied new technology into an old art styles.
The work is completed by a soundtrack. There is a 23-minute composition by Michael Tanner, performed on a psaltery, a stringed instrument often seen in medieval paintings. Additionally, viewers can trigger sounds. “Each illustrated event has a small triangle stitched next to it,” reveals Stewart. “The viewer is required to touch these triangles (one at a time) to trigger the sound that corresponds to the storyline.”
The triangles on the canvas use conductive thread to detect touch. So, what limitations does it present as a material? “From a purely aesthetic viewpoint it’s the colour of the conductive thread,” says Stewart. “I think you can only get either grey/silver or gold.”
Gawain adds: “You do need to consider its inherent fragility, and try to avoid crossed lines in the wiring for better capacitive touch. Also, it can get dirty when touched!”
For the next verse of their creative collaboration, Stewart and Gawain have several works in progress, including some that might use lights triggered by sound running through a Raspberry Pi.
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Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!