The hydraulophone is a water-human-machine interface that uses water and mechanical, hydraulic, or other forms of computation to generate sound along with a unique human interface to the sound computation and production.
It was a childhood invention of S. Mann from the 1960s, (c. 1968/1969) that originally needed to be played and listened to underwater, but modern hydraulophones can be played and heard above the water's surface.
Computational varitions include the H2Organ (1975) and Aqua-Syntauri (1980), using hydraulophone as a human-computer inteface. In this way the hydraulophone can be adapted towards being an arbitrary control surface for a variety of games and other forms of playful interaction.
Can be played along with traditional orchestra:
Woodwater, H2Oboe, and Clarinessie can define new section of orchestra.
See and hear Hydraulophones in Concert (Symphonic Band)
Immersive media (underwater concerts)...
Children's version of the waterflute hydraulophone
.
Download a higher resolution version of that movie
Download a movie (.mov) of a water-pipe organ made from IPEX PVC pipes, here.
See this hydraulophone at Nuit Blanche, the all-night arts festival
(still frames)
Demonstration of music+water therapy for Bloorview MacMillan:
2006 July 12th, Christina playing Nessie:
IPEX pipe organ at the Water Festival in Kensington Market:
TheStrand:
My first impression was that the hydraulophone looked somewhat like a fountain, but I was informed by team member Ryan Jensen that it's actually a cross between a pipe organ and a flute. It is pressure-sensitive, and instead of pushing out air to make sound, it uses water, which makes for a very wet but very cool performance.
When the musicians took a break, the crowd's fingers were all over it. Some of us played simple tunes, but most of us just played around and soaked each other. Jensen explained that he likes playing because you can put a lot of expression into each note, and its sound is sad, something like the call of the loon.
Anyone that ever thought the Faculties of Engineering and Music have nothing in common was proven wrong just outside the Edward Johnson Building. A joint initiative between these two faculties created an instrument called a hydralophone. Creator and engineering professor Steve Mann and members of his team were on hand to provide musical demonstrations as a part of the Faculty of Music's Son(ic)ambulism.
Olivia Chow and Jack Layton visiting with Nessie:
photo 2006 www.marcdemouy.com
Hydraulophone at Grange Festival, 2007 July 27th:
Street festival on Baldwin Street, Sunday 2007 September 16th:
Shipping size for concert hydraulophone (note the yardstick and rulers on the high-pressure lines' pump case; pump cases are each 9 inches high off the
floor); lens is 28mm NIKKOR on d2x camera.
Download a movie (.mov) of this Pipe Organ being
played
Shorter version (less total play-time)
A full resolution version for writing to CD (approx. 500 megabytes) is here
