Musical Chairs

If only all office chairs were built like this. We took four standard swivellers and gave them the ability to trigger sound and video.

Motion data from all movements on the chairs is relayed wirelessly to the computer and translated instantly into whatever audio or visuals you desire. Then it’s played out over a PA system and / or on screens and displays. The chairs can be used for collaborative music making, abstract artistic expression, team games or, using headphones, just getting lost in an individual audio trip.

So far we’ve enjoyed line-dancing, dub-style meanderings, cut and paste speech writing, team tests of physical coordination and timing, and inevitable toilet humour – but pelvic thrusts to re-create the ‘Do Re Mi’ song from The Sound Of Music is far and away the biggest hit.

 

PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity at Phoenix Theatre Exeter, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity, customised office chairs, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity, making music with movement, live game projections, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity, customised office chairs, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity at Phoenix Theatre Exeter, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity at Phoenix Theatre Exeter, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity at Phoenix Theatre Exeter, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.
PlayLab's Musical Chairs, playful creativity at Phoenix Theatre Exeter, making music with movement, Wii controllers, Paul Pethick.