Before I go on, let me just say that I am in no way promoting smoking, smoking is bad for health, smoking is bad for a lot of things, but I’m not here to give you a lesson on such a controversial topic either. Check out this synthesizer made using ashtrays and cigarette boxes that can be controlled using cigarettes, and yes, the cigarettes can be unlit so there’s still no excuse for you to smoke.
Made by Christian Losert and Paul Schengber, this Ziggybox here is a MIDI controller for a laptop which works by detecting cigarette buds on the ashtray using optical sensors and playing different tunes for that. Different tunes can also be toggled by opening and closing the lid of the cigarette boxes. The Ziggybox runs on Ableton Live music creation software.
“The aim of this project is to enable access and control of a complex, digital environment, which is not usually transparent and understandable for the common visitor. Our intention is to show that it is possible to conceptualize the creative utilization of computer software in a casual way, by an interface, which initially seems to be unsophisticated in its manipulation. With this, the user is able to easily approach and control the system functionality of Ziggybox.”
Check out this Vimeo link to see a what type of music the little synthesizer can produce.
