Project Description:
In the traditional version of musical chairs participants scrambled to get a seat before the music stopped. In this version the music never stops and instead participants are invited to add to and alter the music playing by simply taking a seat. The exhibit presents visitors with an arrangement of 5 'chairs' shaped like musical instruments, set on a small revolving stage. The shape of the chair hints at the kind of sound it makes: brass, percussion, piano, strings or random noises. At the front of the stage is a music stand that can be touch activated to play different styles and tempos of background music. Each musical chair can play several sound clips of varying lengths and styles, from bits of jazz to cartoon noises. The order and length of playing time is governed by the length of time the chair is sat upon. By experimenting with the order and number of chairs chosen as well as cooperating with each other visitors will be able to create quite complex music in endless combinations. The exhibit invites playful exploration, and encourages cooperation while sparking creativity. Its open accessibilty allows anyone to join in at anytime. After the initial surprise of creating sound by sitting, the natural curiosity of museum goers will be allowed to run its course. Visitors may choose to try one or two sounds and move on or to linger and engage in a collaborative creation.

SecondLife URL:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Tech/51/164/37/