Fabric Machine Plays Fabric Like a Tape
Friday, May 14, 2010 at 13:28 tagged installations, instruments, performance 
There is something fascinating about playing the sounds of seemingly unplayable things. We have seen how in Harvest by Olle Cornéer and Martin Lübcke the soil gets played like a record, with a huge needle. In Fabric Machine we can listen to the sound of fabric, being played like a tape.
The machine, created by Kathrin Stumreich in Vienna, plays multiple loops of fabric. Light sensors are used to generate the sounds and the quality and density of the cloth determine the pitch and the rhythm of the sound. So for example, the number of threads interrupting the light per second determine the pitch of the sound.
While Fabric Machine can be exposed like an installation, Kathrin Stumreich also performs with it, like an instrument, playing various ‘fabrictracks’ while one loop is dedicated to more rhythmic patters while the other one is used to create pitched material.
Reader Comments (3)
A machine PLAYING fabric like a tape! Wow! What a truly unique concept!!.. I would definately like to hear such performance live, would be cool if they had this installation here in Moscow some time.
P.S. I happened to do a sound post on my blog, and of course, I couldn't not to link to your blog: http://sothankfulproject.blogspot.com/2010/05/most-inspiring-sound-in-world.html
Kathrin wrote me a message saying it will be exhibited in Syndey. Buy you never know, maybe Moscow some other time!
And thank you very much for linking to Everyday Listening on your website!
Yes, maybe one day :) And you're welcome!