Circuitry-Based Sound

As part of the Intercultural Media and Music Practice program and in collaboration with the Bowed Electrons electro-acoustic festival, this four-day workshop brought together participants at SAE Institute Cape Town to explore DIY electronics and collective performance. The workshop introduced self-built circuits and programmable microcontrollers as tools for creating custom electronic music and extended instruments.

Through hands-on experimentation, participants explored breadboarding, circuit hacking, and sound generation through simple electronic systems. Alongside the practical work, conceptual discussions addressed themes of DIY culture, the relationship between tradition and technology, materiality, and artistic process. Each participant designed and built their own small-scale electronic sound device, developing it into a performative setup.

The workshop concluded with a collective live presentation where participants presented the results of their collaborative work in a group performance.

Contributing Artists

Shane Baruth, Thabisa Dinga, Simphiwe Matole

Production & Documentation

• Production Manager: Theo Herbst, Paul Modler, Lorenz Schwarz
• Technical Direction: Lorenz Schwarz

Collaborations

• Bowed Electrons (electro-acoustic festival and symposium organized by Theo Herbst, South African College of Music, University of Cape Town)
• Intercultural Media and Music Practice (inside-sonic.de)
• SAE Institute Cape Town (venue partner)
   

Acknowledgments

• Günther Lübbert (SAE Institute Cape Town)

Funding / Support

This workshop was made possible through the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM for university students – BWS plus, a programme of the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. BWS plus supports innovative cooperative projects between universities in Baden-Württemberg and international partner institutions.

External Links

• Intercultural Media and Music Practice: https://inside-sonic.de
• Baden-Württemberg Stiftung: https://www.bwstiftung.de
• SAE Institute Cape Town: www.sae.edu.za