«Entrainment» is a kinetic sound installation that explores the relationship between physical movement and generative sound. Instead of relying on a fixed musical composition, the piece allows natural forces to dictate the rhythm, timing, and character of the sonic interaction through the movement of suspended pendulums.
The installation consists of five pendulums, the length of each carefully calculated so that they oscillate at different natural frequencies. A magnet affixed to each pendulum is monitored by a linear Hall effect sensor connected to an ESP32 microcontroller, allowing the system to continuously track the position and movement of every pendulum.
The ESP32 transmits real-time sensor data to the Pure Data program, where the swing movements of pendulums are converted into sound. Each pendulum initiates a characteristic plucked tone with a light vibrato, forming a sonic texture that directly reflects the changing dynamics of the physical system.
As the pendulums gradually enter and exit the phase, complex rhythmic relationships emerge without any special programming. Gravity, inertia, and energy loss shape the composition, demonstrating how simple physical processes can generate continuously changing patterns reminiscent of musical structure.
The project explores the boundary between control and autonomy in sound art. The artist sets the initial conditions and technical parameters, while the final sound emerges from the interaction of natural forces, mechanical motion, and real-time computation. The installation invites viewers to perceive sound as an emergent property of physical processes, rather than as a predefined score.