our rational thought processes. The mix of angular circuit traces, softly glowing LEDs, and burnished patina make CFR look like it’s out of the steampunk version of a Victorian natural history museum.

In addition to embellishing circuits, some artists ask questions about the basic physical form of the circuits themselves. Peter Blasser’s Rollz- 5 drum machine schematics (available for free at ciat-lonbarde.net/rollz5) are meant to be printed and built on paper, with the component outlines printed on one side and lead connections on the other. You poke holes in the paper at the indicated spots, insert the components, and solder away! The transistor-based pulse generation circuits that provide the drum machine’s rhythms come in three, four, five, and six-node versions, and the number of nodes determines the visual shape of the circuit itself — three nodes make a triangle, four a square, and so on. The circuits and instruments Blasser designs are always functional, but their expressiveness comes as much from their playful visual appeal as from the sounds they make.

Photography by (from top left) LoVid, Michael Ang, Paul Slocum, Bitforms Gallery NYC

Peter Vogel’s interactive light and sound works and Michael Ang’s Blue Flower sculpture use electronic components as both circuit elements and physical structure. The etched-copper petals in Blue Flower function as power and ground rails, and the LEDs that run off those rails do double duty, both lighting the flower and holding the parts of the petals together. Ang’s elegant design is purposefully reminiscent of biological “design,” where each part of a flower serves a purpose. Vogel’s wiry constructions are much more industrial-looking; component leads are joined together to form columns, spirals, and physical supports for speakers, sensors, and LEDs. His light-sensitive piece Sounds is like an electronic Mondrian painting, colorful components arranged in interlocking geometric forms.

The art and craft of bookmaking have proceeded at a tremendous pace since the medieval heyday of illuminated manuscripts, as materials, techniques, and even motivations continually evolve. I imagine a similar trajectory for the art and craft of circuit design, an open-ended endeavor with enormous potential for both pragmatic invention and playful creativity.

Douglas Irving Repetto is an artist and teacher involved in a number of art/community groups including Dorkbot, ArtBots, Organizm, and Music-dsp.

From top left: LoVid’s Hearing Red, Michael Ang’s Blue Flower, Paul Slocum’s DC Power Supply, Peter Vogel’s Moving Lights.

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