HARVESTWORKS DIGITAL MEDIA ARTS CENTER

596 Broadway, Suite 602 New York, New York

Over the course of two intensive workshops we will focus on all aspects of circuit bending from basic circuit modification to complex interface design. Each student will leave with a finished, well built instrument as well as an abundance of valuable info and experience which will help them in their future bending endeavors.

Circuit bending is an exciting medium. It helps familiarize creative thinkers with the very technical and incredibly powerful medium of electronics. The practice of circuit bending can render some truly amazing and often unexpected results. It's a medium that celebrates creation and exploration. In this course we will explore every step of the process of creating a circuit bent instrument from removing the first screws to applying labels on the finished piece. It is our goal that every student leaving this class will take away a finished, well made circuit bent instrument as well as the knowledge necessary to continue creating on their own.

Peter Edwards, the teacher, strongly believes that every circuit bent object should be considered in a holistic manner. Every step of building a circuit bent instrument is worthy of careful consideration and purposeful execution. The novelty of the sounds created through bending are not enough to carry a bent instrument.  Without quality craftsmanship and a careful attention to details you are left with a weak and unreliable instrument.

Through this course we will explore many topics including:
-finding bends
-fine tuning your bends
-installing pitch adjustments and audio output jacks
-designing a control scheme (which bends make the cut?)
-selecting control hardware (do the controls communicate the function?)
-drilling and cutting plastic
-how to properly mount control hardware
-labeling your controls

MATERIALS:
It is vital that all attendees bring AT LEAST 3 items to circuit bend! It is very likely that some of the items you bring will break or will not be good for bending so bring a few!!! and make sure that what you bring is not too valuable. Good items for bending include anything electronic that generates lots of different sounds, toy keyboards, toy phones, talking toys or clocks, scales etc... Thrift stores are a good source for cheap toys to bend. Toy stores are okay, but you will spend too much money. There are lots of stores in china town that sell cheap little sound gadgets. These will work but they are very simple and may not be the most exciting things to bend.We will put up a website concerning matrials for the workshop before the workshop.