Lilytronica
Lilytronica is a project inspired by folk tradition, pop culture and DIY electronics, utilizing hand-made electronic embroidery in the context of experimental sound performance. The work is based on live improvisation through the use of three embroidered synthesizers with LilyPad Arduino microcontrollers, sensors, and actuators embedded into fabric. The primitive digital quality of the square-wave sounds, and the fragile and glitch-prone nature of the electronic embroideries, reference the DIY character of e-textile experimentation. The intrinsic aspect of this work is the contradiction created between the “soft” interfaces of the embroidered instruments and the loud and immersive soundscape that they produce.
The Instruments
The design of the instruments is aesthetically inspired by popular electronic instruments, like the 80s legendary drum machine Roland TR-909, as well as, the Microkorg and the Korg Monotron synthesizers. The selection of the specific instruments serves cultural and aesthetic purposes, as it creates a direct cultural association in the public ́s mind. It is important to note that the reference to the actual instruments is purely visual. These electronic embroideries are sonically unique and serve
different purposes.
Conceptual axis
Sewing and embroidery are crafts generally associated with female labour and folk tradition. Through the use of these techniques, this work intends to re-evaluate crafting as a valid contemporary form of expression by combining embroidery with technological features and the use of physical computing, in order to create tangible soft interfaces that control and produce sound. Furthermore, the work references the importance of the role of women, both as artisans and artists.
Performances
The Lilytronica performances started in 2012 and have been ongoing ever since. The project has been presented all over the world in festivals such as Ars Electronica in Linz, Piksel in Bergen, Maintenant in Rennes, Electropixel in Nantes, Athens Plaython, and Athens Digital Art Festival, CyborGrrls in Mexico City, etc, as well as renowned experimental sound venues and institutions such as STEIM in Amsterdam, TIMARA in Oberlin, Salon Bruit in Berlin, Galerija Močvara in Zagreb and many more. For a complete list of venues scroll to the end of the page.
Related Workshops
The e-textile synthesizers that comprise the Lilytronica setup have been presented at numerous festivals and project spaces around Europe and the US, through hands-on workshops in which the participants have the opportunity to explore soft circuits and creative coding by crafting their own versions of them. Below is a collection of workshop pictures from workshops in Portland, Amsterdam, Athens, Bergen, and Nantes, in different iterations of the circuits using ATtiny microcontrollers, embroidery, sewing, patchwork, paper electronics, and miscellaneous conductive threads and fabrics to create noisy sound circuits.
Exhibitions and Performances
2021
Crafting Change Symposium, Crafting Sound concert, TIMARA Oberlin, online. Curated by Abby Aresty, and Rachel Gibson.
SEAMUS 2021 (Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States), Crafting Sound online concert and panel. Organized and moderated by Abby Aresty and Rachel Gibson.
2020
Colaboradio, radio performance with Bonnie Whiting, Das Kapital, Berlin, Germany.
2019
Crafting Sound, TIMARA (Technology In Music And Related Arts), Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Ohio, US. Curated by Abby Aresty.
XFest Cyprus 2019: Improvised sound, movement and visuals at Mazotos, Cyprus.
2018
Wayward Music Series presents Anna Fritz + Afroditi Psarra The Chapel, Good Shepherd Center, Seattle, WA.
2017
Sonic Circuits Rhizome Washington D.C. Curated by Zeromoon.
Meany Studio Theater UW with Bonnie Whiting, Jen Torrence, and Cameron Fraser Seattle, WA.
Gallery 1412 with Bonnie Whiting and Cameron Fraser Seattle, WA.
CyborGrrrls Encuentro Tecnofeminista, Mexico City, Mexico.
2015
Steim (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music) Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2014
Ars Electronica C...What it takes to Change Music Monday Program Linz, Austria.
Elektroni[k], Festival Maintenant 2014 Rennes, France. Curated by Cyril Guillory.
Galerija Močvara: KONTEJNER Zagreb, Croatia. Curated by Ena Hodžić, Ivana Jelača, and Tereza Teklić.
Panorila Scrow Theater, Athens, Greece.
2013
Sonic Art-Interdisciplinary Approaches Ioannina,Greece.
A. Psarra & Al Margolis/If, Bwanna Frown Athens, Greece.
AV Format Presents Salon Bruit Berlin, Germany.
MakerFaire Rome Palazzo Congressi, Rome, Italy.
Electropixel Festival Apo33, Nantes, France.
If sports is the brother of labor, then art is the cousin of unemployment Pindaros Hotel, Athens, Greece.
Unseen Cinema School of Fine Arts, UCM, Madrid, Spain.
2012
Piksel [X] Kernel Panic Bergen, Norway.
Athens Plaython Festival Technopolis, Athens, Greece.
Publications
Psarra, Afroditi. 2016. chainStitch Noise. Published in “2016 E-Textile Swatchbook Exchange”, edited by Perner-Wilson, Hannah. Self-Published, limited edition of 24 copies.
Net Releases
Wayward in Limbo #105 Wayward Music Series March 2021
ATTICA 230718 Various Artists. Afroditi Psarra, Jennifer Torrence and Bonnie Whiting - Anchoressness October 2018
<abc_null> Afroditi Psarra, Bonnie Whiting & Cameron Fraser. Zeromoon February 2018
Lilytronica Exp_Net31LP November 2015
Afroditi Psarra / Georgios Karamanolakis ORL19
February 2014
Citations
Guimerans, M. Paola. 2017. La tecnología como material creativo: E-textiles y sus derivaciones en el campo de los artes visuales. Tesis Doctoral UCM. España. ISBN: 978-84-697-4829-9 DOI:https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.20840.98564
Baalman, Marije. 2015. “Digital Audio Out of the Box.” Lilytronica - Digital Audio Out of the Box, http://marijebaalman.eu/dafx/pages/Afroditi_Psarra.html
Press
Miller, Gregg Daniel. “Concert Review: Anna Friz + Afroditi Psarra, June 23, 2018, The Chapel Performance Space, Seattle, WA.” The Seattle Star, The Seattle Star, 16 July 2018, www.seattlestar.net/2018/07/concert-review-anna-friz-afroditi-psarra-june-23-2018-the-chapel-performance-space-seattle-wa/
Psarra, Afroditi. “E-textiles: Hand-Crafting Technological Artifacts.” Seattle Channel, 18 May 2017, www.seattlechannel.org/misc-video?videoid=x76785
Ζευκιλή, Δέσποινα. “Μαρία Βαρελά, Αφροδίτη Ψαρρά: ‘Όταν η Ψηφιακή Τεχνολογία... Κεντάει!".” Αθηνόραμα, Athinorama.gr, 29 Feb. 2016, www.athinorama.gr/cityvibe/article/maria_barela_afroditi_psarra_otan_i_psifiaki_texnologia_kentaei!-2512625.html
Τζιρίτας, Στυλιανός. “Πάνος Αλεξιάδης, Pina Bounce, Wall To Wall Carpeting, Αφροδίτη Ψαρρά., Σάββας Μεταξάς & Σπύρος Εμαννουηλίδης Στο Skrow Theater Στις 16 Μαΐου.” Avopolis Music Network, Avopolis.gr, 9 May 2014, www.avopolis.gr/music-news/greek-live-news/48931-pina-bounce-wall-to-wall-carpeting-a-skrow-theater-16
Schächtele , Kai. “Elektrofaden - Strickhack Und Surrstick: Afroditi Psarra Vernaht Handwerk Und Computerkunst”, Jan. 2015, Wired Germany, issue 21, p. 24.
“Afroditi's Arduino Lilypad Projects.” Atmel, Atmel , 19 July 2013, atmelcorporation.wordpress.com/2013/07/15/afroditis-arduino-lilypad-projects/
Romano, Zoe. “Meet the Maker - Afroditi Experiments with Embroidery, Soft Circuits and Diy Electronics.” Arduino Blog, Arduino, 15 July 2013, blog.arduino.cc/2013/07/15/afroditi-experiments-with-embroidery-soft-circuit-and-diy-electronics/
“Arduino Lilypad: Textiles and Soft-Circuits.” Ελculture, Elculture.gr, 8 Mar. 2012, www.elculture.gr/blog/arduino-lilypad/
Awards
2013 MakerFaire Rome Maker of Merit Award.
Related Workshops
2019
Embroidered Bits: E-Textile Synthesizers workshop at S1 Synth Library, Portland, OR.
2016
Paper Synthesizer workshop at Panorila II in Athens, Greece.
2015
Embroidered Bits workshop at Steim (Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
2014
Embroidered Bits workshop at the Maintenant Festival in Rennes, France.
Noisy Textiles workshop at the Radiona Makerspace in Zagreb, Croatia.
2013
Soft-circuit Noise workshop at Electropixel #3 Festival in Nantes, France.
2012
Textile Synthesizer workshop for teenagers at Piksel[X] in Bergen, Norway.