CyFi Lab from Sonos & We Are Matik

Explained: Installation at Re/Code Code Conference 2014 exploring cymatic patterns.

Chosen: I’ve done some work with Cymatics in the past, and this was one of the more interesting implementations I’ve seen.

Critiqued: I appreciate that this is an installation that everyone can visit, although cymatics can get pretty boring after a while. I wish there was more documentation of the installation. Well-done cymatics depend on precision — something that’s hard to achieve and maintain in a highly public, temporary installation.

Related: A fairly popular video has been making the rounds in the past few months from Nigel Stanford that features cymatics among other physical sound visualization techniques.

TW3RK-BOT 1.0 from Basement Jaxx

Explained: “Without dance there is no love. Without love there is no passion. Without passion there are no humans. 72% have stopped partaking in the art of dancing. And in 15 years, 98% of us will cease to dance”, ergo, TW3RK-BOT 1.0., the robot that will stimulate the world to dance again.

Chosen: Odd. Musical. Dance-y. Robotic.

Critiqued: Weird. Music video, not real proposal.

Related: The music video pokes fun at contemporary robots, namely Nobuhiro Takahashi’s SHIRI Robot Butt and the Miraikan humanoid robots.