Design Portfolio

The Stretchy Strap

The stretchy strap is an e-textile based wearable expression controller for the electric guitar. As opposed to pedal-based controllers, the stretchy strap sits close to the body and harnesses bodily expression to naturally control guitar effects. This project was the culmination of my PhD research at the University of Nottingham and my collaboration with Queen Mary University of London and Bela. Video. Paper. 

Lady Ludd's Loom

This was a commission for Sophie Huckfield who, as part of her Near Now Fellowship researched feminist and queer histories of the Luddite movement and the collective identity of Lady Ludd. Her vision was "to repurpose a four shaft — a tool of predominantly historic feminised labour — into a musical instrument, as a form of creative and feminist technological resistance (...)". 

To augment the loom I used a Bela with an audio expander capelet and a Trill craft capacitive touch breakout board. The Bela runs a bespoke Pd patch running a Karplus-Strong string model, an FM synthesizer and a virtual instance of the Plaits module by Mutable Instruments through the ELSE library. Video.

The Duck

The Duck is a sample-based instrument that explores how elements of Internet remix culture can be used as a resource for digital musical instrument design and performance. The idea for the instrument emerged after watching “[SFM] Duck.exe has stopped working” by an0nymooose on YouTube, which shows a duck eating what appears to be a motherboard. The duck then seems to become “infected” by a computer virus, making quack uncontrollably and to do “computery” sounding quacks. 

In another way, this video can also be interpreted as a sort of Glitch Loop improvisation, as we hear a quack sample being looped, stretched, pitched-shifted, and so on. Thus, this instrument, which uses Pure Data running on Bela, tries to replicate and extend on the “performance” shown in the video, both metaphorically and literally, as a plastic duck gets stuffed with an embedded Linux computer transforming it into a digital musical instrument. Video.

Kraakavera

Kraakavera is a portmanteau of kraakdoos and calavera. Kraakdoos being the Dutch name of the Cracklebox, an electronic instrument conceived by Michel Waisvisz, and calavera, from calavera de azúcar, which translates to sugar skull, a common edible decoration featured in altars for the dead, during the day of the dead, a Mexican holiday that celebrates the life of the deceased. With kraakavera I wanted to honor Waisvisz's memory by making an altar that featured his cracklebox in the form of a sugar skull, and that could also be played by people directly through the altar to pay their respects. The altar also features Waisvisz's picture and typical decorations, such as marigolds, papel cortado and candles. Video. Paper.

Thready

Thready is a wearable soft stuffed sloth toy embedded with audio-reactive vibration actuators using Bela for supporting live music

experiencing for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences in their concerts. Each of Thready's hands and feet features an ERM actuator inside and its core houses an enclosed Bela with a VCA (voice coil actuator). To capture the audio Thready has an electret mic in each "ear", and an LED in its forehead as a VU meter.

Thready was a commission for the band Threaded (Rosie & Jamie Rutherford) which I developed as during my postdoctorate research fellowship with the LEADD:NG project funded by a European Regional Development Fund.

E-textile wearable toolkit for workshops

Introducing electronic textiles to people without experience working with electronics or textiles can be a challenging endeavour, especially in short amounts of time, such as one-day workshops. Thus, I crafted a low entry-level skills e-textiles toolkit for non-experienced users consisting of a series of modules and textile materials. The toolkit features a piece of felt with a snap-on footprint for the Adafruit Flora and a velcroed breadboard, as well as a vibrating motor module, a trim pot, custom made snap-on jumper cables, safety pin-based conductive thread “cables”, and pre-cut adhesive conductive fabric patches. The felt module can be attached to the wrist as a bracelet using velcro. The goal of this kit is to provide a wearable no-soldering, no-sewing kit which can demonstrate the capabilities of e-textiles to people without experience of electronics or textiles. 

Installation Props

During my involvement with the the LEADD:NG project I developed a series of interactive props for various installations such as the HOME:Zero project (led by Roma Patel of Makers of Imaginary Worlds), presented at National Gallery X, London; and the “Light After Dark Film Festival: A Night at the End of the World” presented at Nottingham Contemporary (commissioned by Niki Harman).

HOME:Zero was an interactive performance that invites visitors into a fantastical world where time is running out. In this playful, immersive installation, inspired by National Gallery paintings, families spark their imaginations to create extraordinary changes and envision a more sustainable future. Co-designed with Nottingham families, this unique experience encourages us all to rethink how small changes at home can make a big impact on sustainability.Ideal for families with children aged 6-10. Video. Website.

XR Drum Lessons 

Through the LEADD:NG project and in collaboration with a professional drummer and teacher Joe Synnot from the band Phoenix Lake we developed a series of 18 immersive drumming lessons using Depthkit volumetric capture (VolCap) rig. The proof of concept offered a multi-perspective view of the Joe and his drum kit, allowing learners to watch percussion techniques from multiple angles and with a high level of detail, by navigating the space in a VR environment (made with Unity).

While existing successful music eLearning companies such as Drumeo and Fender Play offer lessons using multiple camera angles none have not yet explored XR technologies in this space. Famous percussionists and musicians in general offer master classes using these platforms, so our idea could provide yet another revenue stream for these artists.

Welcome to You

"Welcome to You" was an immersive group meditation experience directed by theatre company Modern Ritual (Alex Moxon & Jack Sanderson-Thwaite). As part of their engagement with the LEADD:NG project I supported their project by putting a production together, for which I hired film maker Sean Riley (from Computerphile), to shoot a short for them at the Nottingham Caves. I personally developed the audio-reactive visuals that would be projected over the film during the immersive experience using Max/MSP.

ShapeShifter

ShapeShifter is an immersive experience based on motion tracking-to trigger interactive visuals and dynamic audio for physical activation in low-mobility adults. It was co-developed our current prototype with older people living with health  conditions including dementia, Parkinson’s and stroke, as well as with school children. Over 200 participants, from 5 to 91 years old, took part in the project which has included workshops and public sharing events. 

ShapeShifter has been supported by LEADD:NG, REF Impact Case, and Nottingham Impact Accelerator funds, and it is a longstanding collaborative project with Emma Wass. Video.

A Journey Inside

This was a VR-based animated poem experience written and designed by Lytisha Tunbridge; a Nottingham based poet. This Virtual Reality experience was developed in partnership with the LEADD:NG team at the University of Nottingham (sound design, mixing and binaural recording by Juan Martinez Avila and visuals and VR experience by Paul Tennent). Supported by Arts Council England project grant funding. It was also featured at Notts TV. 

Lytisha described that the idea began during an MRI monitoring of her MS in 2016. Then the poem arrived, and was performed on stages across the UK at spoken word events. Keen to open the discussion around MRI experiences, and balance the negative only narratives, Lytisha further developed the poem in different artistic formats. Website.

100-Mile Radius

This was a LEADD:NG commission for Caron Lyon. Her idea was to create foyer installation for visitors at live events to interact with, mapping each performance's audience focused on a 100 mile radius of the receiving venue. By pinpointing their location in a map each participant would enter a data point for a rule-based generative artwork. For this project I developed a web-based interface using Leaflet.js, and p5.js.

​The result was a limited edition postcard with the option of a pin badge and online authentication certificate (NFT - Non Fungible Token)  to share with the audience as a reminder of the experience. Website. 

CAD for Fashion

This was a LEADD:NG funded project commissioned by Erica Horne. Her idea was to create an AR-based tool for fit meetings for the fashion industry. This would allow people to see garments in a virtual mannequin rather than having to send physical fabric swatches back and forth agencies and stores, potential saving on delivery costs and fabrics. I developed the experience in Unity for mobile devices.

NIME 2023 branding

I designed the logos and branding for the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) 2023 website and merchandise, as well as the NIME 2023 summer school logo. My designs were featured on T-shirts, tote bags, participant badges and visa letters. The conference was hosted in Mexico City. I also was the workshop chair that year, as well as summer school and LATAM NIME network gathering event organizer. The logos both feature a simplified illustration of the Chichén Itzá pyramid. The dots and stripes on the stairs spell out the number 2023 in Mayan numerals. The design was made in Figma.

AIMS 2026 logo

I designed the AI Music Studies (AIMS) Symposium 2026 logo. The logo is inspired on the AIMS 2024 logo which featured a HAL 9000 eye on the letter "I". The design was made in Figma.