Here’s a fine and elegant example of the old art of traditional Japanese lacquering meeting the relatively new field of touch panel technology. This anachronistic musical instrument comes from Yuri Suzuki, Matt Rogers, and lacquer craftsman Takashi Wakamiya from Wajima, Japan—a place famed for traditional lacquerware with highly decorative features. The device was made for an exhibition called Collacqueration: Designed in the UK — Lacquered in Japan, and the title pretty much gives away what it was all about. The piece, called Urushi Musical Interface, uses gold inlay as a conductor, turning the surface into a touchscreen and allowing the user to control different sounds in what is effectively a circle-patterned keyboard. As for the sound, well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be out of place on the Blade Runner soundtrack.
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