38 North
2021
Delaplane Gallery, SF

Mounted along a metal structure rising above the net, a grid of vertically mounted lasers faces a corresponding row of photoresistor sensors, creating a laser-sensor fence dividing the center of the ping-pong table. Each time the ball crosses between the two sides of the table, a sensor is tripped, triggering a corresponding note on a hanging robotic gayageum, an instrument rooted in Korean court, folk, and ritual traditions. Attached to the net, a vibration sensor triggers a kkwaenggwari (small gong) to be struck each time the ball hits the net.

This project was developed collaboratively with Roger Kim