Despite being the inventor of one of the most vital communication tools of all time, Alexander Graham Bell believed his Phonophone—a machine that transmitted speech on a beam of light—was "the greatest invention [I have ever made], even greater than the telephone." Thus, upon hearing aboutartist Arcangel Constantini's Phonotube, an update to Bell's 1880 device, we imagine the telephone creator patting his stomach approvingly in his decked-out grave.The Phonotube is a light instrument-cum-sound sequencer that looks exactly like that—a flourescent tube is attached to a small machine in which photocells transform gaseous light into sound. It is touch-sensitive, and moving your fingers across it turns body heat into pulsing sounds, perfect for experimental and/or noise musicians who want to just feel the vibes they're making, man.To get a little more specific, the tube is covered with sound patterns that change shape as it spins at a variety of speeds. These patterns get transduced into sound by light excitation—"electronic circuits as pre-amps photo-cells and photodiodes, voltage control oscillators, relays, circuit Filters, and 1bit systems," explains the Constantini in an interview at We Make Money Not Art.Though the sounds it makes are by no means, um, sonorous, we could imagine the Phonotube being employed for some captivating A/V performance pieces. We know Bell would be grooving out if he were there.The Phonotube will appear in public at the Sight + Sound Festival in Montreal next month.See more of Arcangel Constantini's work on his website.Related: Pedro Reyes' Disarm: Turning Weapons Into InstrumentsWearable Digital Instruments That Can Be Played Through MovementGroup Turns Natural Elements Into Musical Instrumentsh/t We Make Money Not Art@zachsokol
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