Soft/Loud (ongoing)

These Loud Baskets explorations are inspired by flat and soft speakers created by embroidering, sewing or gluing conductive thread or foil on paper or fabric and placing a neodymium magnet on it. When connected to an audio source the conductive material acts as an electromagnet. The competing magnetic fields of the coil and the neodymium magnet cause the membrane (the paper/ fabric) to attract and repel, creating vibrations that translate the electrical frequencies into audible sound waves. There are different topologies for the pattern of the conductive material that can work in creating a speaker but the spiral shape specifically reminded us of coiled baskets in which rope is spiraled and knotted onto itself to create a basket. In this, we saw an opportunity to explore basketry in which technology is structurally present. We explored different types of conductive materials for the coil and eventually used 0,3mm enamel magnet wire as its insulation and thickness allowed us to create tighter coils, increasing the volume of the speaker. We further experimented with the stiffness of the woven rope (e.g. different materials such as twine, hemp and applying fabric stiffener), weaving patterns and ways of integrating the neodymium magnets.

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