Voodoo Cows is an instrument for physically fabricating sonic environments ad hoc. The concept was originally inspired by the collective sound produced by the cowbells from a herd of Swiss cows. The bell on each cow has a distinct tone and unique ringing pattern as each animal moves around and shakes its head at its own pace, creating interesting syncopated rhythms. Each ‘performance’ is dynamic, and unique to an audience that might encounter any particular ad hoc arrangement of cows in a field.
Voodoo Cows simulates this behaviour by providing a physical interface to compose soundcapes out of individually manipulable rhythmic cowbells. The bells are represented by Dial 'Pins that can be brought in and out of the area of a playing field (a location-aware, VoodooIO substrate). The actual sound of the bells is synthesized on a laptop, amplified and rendered through stereo speakers.
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