Pippa Kelmenson
2021 Graduate Research Fund Awardee
ITP Class of 2021
Pippa Kelmenson is a Brooklyn-based creative technologist and sound artist. With a background in experimental and electronic music, her interactive projects are informed by her desire to create an inclusive and accessible dialogue between interactive sound art and the human body.
PROJECT
BCI (Bone Conductive Instrument)
BCI is an intuitive sonic learning experience that is accessible to anything with a skeleton. An organic shape outfitted with the functionality of a familiar electronic instrument, BCI is a sound-generating listening device that teaches its users to listen through their bodies.
An interactive and multi-sensory device amplified and supported by bone conduction, BCI uses psychoacoustics to evoke a physiological response to sonic vibration. BCI wirelessly sends sound signals through the jaw that vibrate the individual resonant frequencies of the body. Equipped with bone and air conductive transducers and haptic feedback outputs, BCI is able to provide a fully immersive auditory experience.
BCI calls for an inclusive and innovative way for users across the hearing spectrum to interact with sound. Those with mixed hearing loss may hear, play, and learn a new and never-before-seen instrument and listening device. BCI sits at the intersection of artists, technologists, music educators, and the Hard of Hearing community. It allows the listener a private experience of hearing the noises they generate throughout their body. Not only does BCI provide insight into how the body processes sound information, but it also facilitates the practice and performance of an instrument while alone.
