SOMATA

is a musical toy which allows people to build it into any form they desire. When users combine the 5 parts and play with the end product they created, it will have random sounds come out. The goal of SOMATA is to bring people an open-ended, unlimited creative journey and encourage them to explore the endless possibilities through the experience of creating music with simple toys.

What: A musical toy designed to produce an endless array of playful possibilities for its user through random combination of parts and touch sensitive notes generator. The toy is meant to provide incentives for individuals from all walks of life to experiment with everyday objects thus engaging in the process of learning through the act of “play”.

How: The toy consists of an exterior made from malleable 3D printing material and interiors furnished with magnets and piezo sensor. Different parts of the toy each have their own colors and shapes designed for the users to manipulate and combine them according to their preferences. The touch sensor is connected to processors containing sound files, which would produce various volume and lengths of sounds given different levels of pressure.

Why: Through interacting with randomized objects to build up unique versions of the users themselves, the toy wants to invite individuals to recontextualize the act of “play” and explore the pedagogy behind this instinctual yet largely misconstrued form of learning.