Cotton Candy Universe (2015)

Programmer/Engineer (With Antfood)

Cotton Candy Theremin is a spinning performance at the intersection of food, design, performance and technology. Developed by Philip Sierzega and Emilie Baltz, Cotton Candy Theremin remixes the interface of making cotton candy by transforming it into a multi-sensory orchestration of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. By spinning a cotton candy cone over wisps of candy floss, guests trigger sounds and visuals that create an immersive environment, revealing the interplay between human and digital technology.

A team of technicians, composers, and producers at the creative audio studio Antfood, both composed the music and developed a custom-built interface that allowed visitors to dynamically control the track. "Cotton Candy Theremin" premiered at New York's Red Bull Space as a part of The New Museum's NEW INC incubator in July 2015. It was additionally featured in Panorama Music Festival's "The Lab" in July 2016.

The audio controls are programmed in Max, which interpret hand motion via ten sensors surrounding the machine. The Max program translates and scales OSC data (via UDP) to specific audio controls in Ableton Live, including frequency modulation, beat repeat, and "one-shot" sample triggers.

Press: Vice, Mashable, Forbes, Art F City, Ada Fruit, Architectural Digest, Uncubed, Paper Mag