nervous squirrel records audio clips into the musical stepladders

nervous squirrel records audio clips into the musical stepladders
all images courtesy of nervous squirrel

british designer david cranmer of nervous squirrel has produced ‘the musical stepladders’, another combined sound and technology project. each ladder contains four lo-fi sampler circuits, which are activated by spring-mounted steps. a selection of various audio clips can be recorded into them at around five seconds per piece, forming a playful harmony between the two. the installation becomes a musical chorus as people traverse up and down, transforming the action of climbing up to reach something into an interactive performance. 

the ladders viewed from another ladder

the control panels

detail view of the tread-plate steps

closeup of spring / switch mechanism

‘the musical stepladders’ ready for a world tour

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.