Waterfall

Waterfall is a performance piece consisting of a computationally augmented waterfall with an integrated contact mic. The contact mic picks up the sounds of the water pouring into the top basin, processed through heavy reverb to create the aural sensation of a massive waterfall. As water builds up and spills over from basin to basin, sensors detect this flow of water and release a lush soundscape that evolves with the continually changing flow of water as it moves down the waterfall.

Waterfall uses a matrix of electrodes to detect the flow of water through the waterfall. As the volume of water increases, conductivity between these electrodes increases. Using a Cypress Programmable System on a Chip microcontroller, current flow is measured pairwise through each all electrodes several hundred times per second.