Knitting Noise with No-Input Textiles

The No-Input Textiles explore the inherent affordances of conductive textiles as flexible, playful, accessible, and otherwise versatile material for soft interfaces for musical expression. The name comes from no-input mixing, a musical practice wherein the output of a mixing board is fed back to the input so that it self-oscillates. The mixer, designed for utility and control, instead becomes an exquisitely sensitive musical instrument where the finest touch of a knob can alter the flow of sound in surprising ways. While the texture and character of textile material are sometimes neglected in the instrumental use of electronic textiles, we embrace the malleability and conversational quality of textile surfaces, creating a three-fold interaction between sonic circuits, human touch, and textile materials.

You'll see woollen experiments incorporating conductive knitted and woven structures into the circuit of a no-input mixer – as two dimensional and squishy patch cables: softening the cold plastic of the mixing desk while drawing out the essence of the materials via sonic interaction.