Sustainability, Inclusion and diversity has been an unavoidable theme in our daily lives since it is affecting all environments of the world. Our small and "invisible" daily choices have been making a huge impact on the permeability of the human race and our planet. But the sense of responsibility and weight make people feel overloaded, confused and stressed about it.
Most musicians that I talked with about it mentioned feeling powerless regarding their actions on social and sustainable discussions. Even knowing that Music, as any other area of human life, is a product that has an impact on the environment and social causes. The importance of the art of creating high significance to experiences, objects and relationships can be one of the most powerful tools for human conscientization. As the research at the Milieubewust from the dutch government proves, 85% of the big causes of the world nowadays are directly influenced by personal actions, such as buying organic food or using electric transport.
I wanted to transform my music practice in a message for ambiental conservation and social impact by bringing topics such as globalization, climate change, health care, food waste not only as an artistic concept, but also as a maker's practice and an experience to the audience. Those topics were explored in several formats and end products during this academic search.
2.3.4.1. Starting point
The music market misses references where tools and practices promote a wealthier and cooperative relationship with their environment and community. Our world needs examples and solutions to create a healthier relationship between musician, listener and tool. The current platforms and tools we use and the way we practice don't offer enough interaction, flexibility, diversity, accessibility, own maintenance and customization for its users.
Music making can connect with a diverse range of research and innovative areas, such as sustainable materials, mobility, event production, energy consumption, fair label practice, social inclusion, open source, education , maintenance and customization by local and small production. New designs also bring solutions and dialogues agreeing with new values of the XXI century, such as Shareability, Customization, Automation and mobility.
The choice to create Knurl with tools, approaches and applications that reflects a new relationship between music and social discussion was always a natural and important choice for me. If I believe that our way of designing and making has to become different, the tool that I most use and influence my creative process has also to represent these choices. 3D printing manufacturing has become to me an accessible approach to investigate renewable materials for acoustic solutions and a process that uses local manufacturing.
In the year of 2022, I also applied for a residency with Adam at the Humanities Lab to create a circuit that would allow a Knurlist to generate its own energy by its own sound. This project is called Sound energy harvest. One of our final products was also to create a composition with this theme and technology.
Regarding its application, I also had a curiosity to see Knurl used to promote social and inclusive actions. How could a new instrument design influence people's daily lives or their relationships? During its production I tested the design and its influence as a tool of social impact.
2.3.4.2. Application
Renewable materials
In the beginning of the academic year from 2020, the photographer Suzette Bousema has invited me to collaborate on her multidisciplinary project: Super organism. This was a project about the importance of micro fungal networks and the impact of deforestation. Suzette counted with the expertise of 3 scientists and 2 interdisciplinary artists. In our collaboration I created an album with some tracks for her exposition and we explored the design of Knurl with a biodegradable and compostable material. A video clip of this project is available at the youtube channel. After this collaboration I kept exploring biodegradable solutions for acoustic solutions with recycled materials and degredable fibers produced by Reflow.
Renewable energy
Sound Energy Harvest is a practice that converts sounds into electrical energy for the digital/analogue application. This is possible through different technologies, e.g. electromagnetic induction or Piezoelectric fibres. Applying a Dickson multiplier circuit, it's possible to transform your musical instrument in a energy generator (for small devices) if it attends the necessary conditions:
- Your instrument can play louder than 80 dBs
- It can play a frequency note equivalent to the resonance frequency of your pickup mic
This application has not been stimulated that much due its non-potential results on a quantitative and time scale, such as solar or wind energy. However, new technologies and studies have been proving that it can be a solution to increase the efficiency of your predictive maintenance and condition monitoring systems by eliminating the need for batteries and cables and expensive power sources that should be part of our past. Besides it, I allow us to be independent from long distance connections to renewable energy sources and suppliers. The intention of this research isn’t only to stimulate this digital practice but also to experiment its concept of renewable energy sources as an artistic expression of conscientization for its participants. The promotion of renewable energy in an artistic practice isn't only solving ambiental problems, but it also has the potential to integrate a community, allowing an active participation into their mutual / ethical problems. During the course of Knurl’s design, I also explored the application of solar energy into my instrument case to harvest energy for its use after transporting it outside.
Social impact
To test Knurl’s social impact has been a work for years, but few initiatives have been happening during its development. In the class of Music and Dementia , I have been in direct contact with patients that feel profoundly connected and empowered by listening and practicing music with me and my classmates. An experience difficult to describe without being present, to be honest. Most ladies and gentlemen are very curious and impressed to listen to music instruments.
To interact with patients conditioned with Dementia can be a very meaningful experience to my growth as an artist. Most people are in a true need for music and human interaction in those environments. To connect with this community has been the furthest, most impactful experience of all those testing cycles to me. Being there with them reminds me how our lives are so fragile and beautiful. Music becomes such a mysterious bridge to achieve those reflections. After such an experience, how could any of the details and the precision that Knurl involves matter to these people? Sitting around multiple simple percussive instruments, I started to reflect on the importance of being open minded as a musician and how sounds are so accessible to us but at the same time, how important it is to create environments for listening to them.
In my personal experience, Inclusion and diversity is one the biggest and exciting challenges of product design development. The symbiose and authenticity desired is part of a long and authentic process connecting your personal passion into the community around you.
2.4.3.3. Findings
For the past few years of thinking and acting in awareness of sustainability, I've been confirming what was always visible: Sustainability shouldn't be painful, expensive, selective and a difficult choice with harmful impacts to the comfort of your life. Sustainability aims to improve quality in both parts. As the term Hedonistic sustainability used into architecture design means sustainability is here to improve the quality of our life. In the collaboration with Suzette Bousema in Super Organism, to represent an environmental message became so reachebale when using visual and sound art to represent a voice that wasn't between us. The project development included so many circumstances, spaces and communities that were around this message that naturally we were able to achieve good results for it.
While the other projects are still further investigation (renewable energy and music and dementia), I could already as well visualize their potential and impact towards my music practice or knurl’s development. I hope in the near future to investigate further how to represent the impact of music into those areas, involving a community and a space around it.