Toshio Iwai and the Tenori-on

The Electroplankton piece has prompted many readers to ask about the work of 43-year-old interactive artist and University of Tokyo professor, Toshio Iwai. In addition to Electroplankton, Toshio has recently developed the tenori-on, a prototype from Yamaha's product design laboratory, which produces music through a grid of 256 illuminating buttons on a brushed-aluminum tablet.



It produces light as well as sound, providing a visual reference to the notes being played. What I find really exciting is that we can now use light and interface as a structure for composing and sequencing rather than the traditional notes and staff.

From the New York Times:

"The aim of this project is to create a musical instrument for nonmusicians," Mr. Iwai said. "I'm not a musician, but I had a dream to play an instrument on the stage."

Does anyone know more about Iwai's work?

Tip: Mark Hurst at Good Experience.

Tags: music, instruments, technology