Connor Smyth
Orpheum & TedX 2019
TEDxToronto, Canada’s largest TEDx event, held its 11th annual conference on October 26th, 2019. As a part of this event, Art & Science exhibited The Orpheum – a touch-powered musical instrument and art installation built to light up the event.
*All of the information in this post is pulled from the Art & Science website.
The Orpheum by Art & Science is an art installation and musical instrument where a simple touch triggers complex musical compositions and beautiful, animated waves across its 10-finger touchscreen.
Over 3,000 public “performances” during a five-week period (outdoors) in the Mississauga winter!
As you play, The Orpheum’s “pipes” fill with moving light, changing colour and intensity to match your performance.
Plus, The Orpheum can control existing lighting systems (such as DMX, SACn, or even inexpensive Philips Hue bulbs), letting participants affect the surrounding environment with light and colour.
With 2,000 watts of sound across three built-in, concert-grade speakers, this instrument packs a sonic punch. If that’s not enough, it’s designed to integrate easily into PA systems or stage audio (regardless of connection type).
An earlier prototype of the piece has been exhibited at various events in Toronto, but the latest version has been completely redesigned for outdoor use and debuted with a five-week run at Celebration Square in Mississauga.
Because it was hooked in to the civic lighting, participants were able to affect the entire square with coloured lights—all the way to the top of the clock tower!—adding a unique, cultural touchpoint to the festivities of New Year’s Eve and Hometown Hockey.
- Art & Science TedX blog post: https://artscience.ca/rising-together-the-orpheum-travels-to-tedxtoronto-2019/
- The Orpheum - Art & Science: https://artscience.ca/work/the-orpheum/
- The Orpheum - browser experience: https://orpheum.artscience.ca/