The conception and creation of the polyrhythmic instrument “slice” was a collaboration between myself and Signe LisaDotter in 2022.

Pictured here are images and videos of the instrument in motion, its construction process, and Signe’s sketches of the sculpture. The top three tiers each have their own DC motor with springs attached, controlled via a Mega Arduino (a programmable circuit board) and H bridges, that allow the performers to alter the direction and speed of the motors. The bottom two tiers of the sculpture have AC motors, which produce a steady speed that is not altered. We placed various household items in the range of the motor arms to generate sound each time the motor rotated. Both Signe and I were interested in hearing the rhythms and polyrhythms that the motors would produce, how these would be affected by speed, and how to interact with the motor rhythms as performers.