Organism is an experimental instrument built by Navid Navab and Garnet Willis from a 1910 Casavant pipe organ rescued from a heritage site in Montréal. Its pipes and pneumatic mechanisms have been modified to undo the design features that keep an organ's airflow stable, and robotically controlled motors and valves shape the flow of air to each pipe. The result is an acoustic instrument, with no digital sound, that produces unstable, turbulent timbres.
Organism has been presented as a solo concert, Organism: In Turbulence, in which Navab improvises with the instrument, and as an installation, Organism + Excitable Chaos, in which the movements of a robotically steered chaotic triple pendulum, tracked by motion sensors, drive the organ. The project received the Golden Nica for Digital Musics & Sound Art at Prix Ars Electronica 2025, and the 2025 Lumen Prize Identity & Culture Award.
Role
From 2021 to 2022 I worked with Navid Navab on the Max software used to play Organism. I built a set of libossia-based control modules that facilitate live performance and composition, including LFOs, range mappers, a randomized transport-synced clock, and a module for chaotic attractors. I also developed the servo and valve control layer that regulates air to the pipes, the preset system, hardware controller mappings, and systems to read motion sensors.
Tools
Max, libossia
Performances and exhibitions
Credits
