sx: Monument to the Synth

A Monument to the Synthesizer

One of the earliest electric musical instruments, musical telegraph was invented in 1876 by American electrical engineer Elisha Gray. He accidentally discovered the sound generation from a self-vibrating electromagnetic circuit, then he invented a basic single-note oscillator. This musical telegraph used steel reeds, whose oscillations were created by electromagnets, and transmitted over a telegraphy line. Gray also built a simple loudspeaker device into later models, consisting of a vibrating diaphragm in a magnetic field, to make the oscillator audible.

This instrument was a remote electromechanical musical instrument using telegraphy and electric buzzers which can generate fixed timbre sound. Though it lacked arbitrary sound-synthesis function, some have erroneously called it the first synthesizer.

The Monument

A dimensional space which allows for the user to physically interact with elements of a synthesizer in order to educate and commemorate its importance to music. The monument will offer the opportunity for collaboration of multiple users to depict the importance of all of the elements of a synthesizer and how they work together to create one sound. The overall focus is how influential the synthesizer has been on music over the years and honor the shift from analog to digital forms of making sound.

The Location

The exact location is still in the works. Considering the interactive aspect of the monument, obviously a well populated area is essential. The possibility of a setting like Union Station or some type of public space with lots of foot traffic would be ideal. Also, the monument would most likely be housed in doors in some type of environment which enhances the content. The electronic component would likely also need some sort of security and cover from the outdoors.

Mind Mapping and Resources

We began mindmapping for the monument on Mural.ly: