Darbuka 1

One of the more old-school robotic drum projects combines Arabic instruments with (in 2010) state of the art high-tec: Wireless controlled darbukas. It was set up for the international biennale in 2010 in Israel and realized by Artist Liat Segal.

18 Darbuka drums and 36 robotic arms are controlled via wireless communication. Drum music is composed and played at a music sequencer on an iPad.
The project was presented at the Bat-Yam international biennale of landscape urbanism, September 2010, as a part of the ‘Green to Blue’ ecological street project. During the biennale, electricity generated by wind turbines and photovoltaic cells was used to operate the robotic Darbuka drums. The drums were mounted on the wind turbines columns, creating a hybrid, digital-mechanic drumming circle, a futuristic-traditional acoustic space.