Interactive images and percussion with Patatap
Ever wondered what synesthesia was? Patatap turns your computer keyboard into a musical instrument complete with accompanying visual effects.
We all love a bit of procrastination towards the end of the week. “Patatap” by Jono Brandel has developed a website that lets you create musical sounds and colourful animation using your computer’s keyboard.
With the tap of a key, create melodies charged with moving shapes. Switch between multiple colour palettes and matching soundscapes on the fly.
Brandel's motivation behind Patatap is to introduce the medium of Visual Music to a broad audience.
"Artists working in this field vary in discipline but many aim to express the broader condition of Synesthesia, in which stimulation of one sensory input leads to automatic experiences in another," he explains.
"Hearing smells or seeing sounds are examples of possible synesthesia. In the case of Patatap, sounds trigger colourful visual animations.
"The history behind the aesthetic expression of synesthesia arose from the paintings of Piet Mondrian and Wassily Kandinsky and the early videos of Viking Eggeling and Norman McLaren, to the contemporary animations of Oskar Fischinger and softwares of C.E.B. Reas. Patatap takes elements from all these visionaries and aims to present this concept in a direct way."
To create Patatap, Brandel who is a Google designer, collaborated with music composers Lullatone, a melody design unit of Shawn James Seymour and Yoshimi Seymour.
Based in Nagoya, Japan, the duo has released more than ten albums and frequently soundtracked films, commercials and more. They created compelling sounds to accompany the Patatap animations
“With each sound they try to bring out the everyday wonder of overlooked moments and make the mundane seem magical,” says Brandel.
“Each colour palette has a unique corpus of sounds. Each set comprises sounds that enable a full-bodied composition both in terms of sound and visuals.
“These sounds are geared toward making tapping as melodic as possible, similar to a keyboard of drum pads. The result is a visceral and rewarding experience.”
And it seems Patatap could be something to look out for at events and exhibitions.
“Because Patatap is a website, it’s relatively smooth to install and reconfigure the application,” explains Brandel.
“As a result, Patatap has had physical presence in the form of performances and installations.”
Patatap has already appeared at the Tech Museum in San Jose and at Super Flying Tokyo – a Japanese festival celebrating Tokyo’s digital creative scene.
24 April 2014
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