Sonorium - the transformation of movement into musical gesture in a new virtual interface (Case Study)

Sonorium is a virtual musical instrument that interprets the performers/ participants’ position in a physical space, inviting free body expression and the creation of spontaneous choreographies that result in musical compositions. The software, makes use of a MS Kinect camera to map a tridimensional space into sound, allowing users to musically interact and compose, individually or in groups, using the space and their bodies’ movement as a mean for musical creativity. This application was developed at Digitópia Casa da Música, a digital music platform, based at the concert hall Casa da Música in Oporto. Digitópia encourages the act of listening, performance and musical creation, through the promotion and development of new technologies. Sonorium is currently displayed as an interactive installation at the Orange Room of Casa da Música since 2013. Even though it was developed originally as an installation, Sonorium quickly revealed its potential as an instrument/interface, and has also been extensively used for educational and performative purposes in many workshops and concerts, such as Sem Dó nem Piedade (in this case involving a community of people with special needs), Caça-Sons, Música a Metro and No Mundo dos Sons. This article consists of two large sections: 1) The technical and conceptual development description of Sonorium; 2) Sonorium’ artistic and practical use experience. Through educational practices, as an interactive installation and performative instrument, it will be described as different users, with different backgrounds and purposes, use and react to a process that transforms their body into music and how movement can have a musical gesture translation.