What do you do with 27 pairs of used shoes? If you’re like Ingrid Bachmann, you would make them into interactive art.

Each shoe has a toe and heel tap used in tap dancing attached to it. The shoes move or dance independently of each other. The mechanical motion of tapping is created using solenoids (tubular magnetic sensors) that move up and down when activated by a switch. Each switch, 52 in total, is controlled by a microcontroller and software that activates the sequence of the tapping of the shoes.

More about the Symphony for 54 Shoes by Ingrid Bachmann

3 Responses to Symphony for 54 Shoes by Ingrid Bachmann

  1. yesnoyesno on said:

    seems like this would make the same sound if the shoes weren’t there at all…..

  2. it seemed weird to call solenoids magnetic sensors, I’d think they were closer to magnetic actuators.

  3. Anonymous on said:

    I have a slow connection right now which allows me to imagine what a video might contain for quite a while before I actually get to see it. I was picturing a robotic Riverdance and thinking, “I wish I’d thought of that!” What a let down. I agree with yesnoyesno’s comment, the shoes add nothing. I still think the concept is cool and can’t wait to see someone do it right.

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