Sonibaux
Introudction to Bowen Wu’s Research:
Sonibaux is a series of newly designed instruments that I have created, built, and performed with in my sonic art practice, particularly within live performance contexts. Rather than referring to a single controller or instrument, the project is an open system composed of combinations of boxes and sensors of various sizes and shapes, designed to accommodate diverse performance and creative scenarios. The series is highly extensible, supporting the ongoing evolution of experimental sound practices—new sensors can be integrated to enrich performance possibilities and enable future technological or interactive integrations. Drawing on the logic of electronic music live sets and the flexibility of modular synthesizers, Sonibaux allows different units to be freely combined. More than a traditional instrument system, it serves as a mediating platform for sonic art creation, providing diverse interfaces between the body and sound.
About Bowen Wu:
Bowen Wu is a Glasgow-based composer and audiovisual artist whose practice spans sound art, new instrument design, audiovisual composition, installation, experimental music, film scoring, and live electronic performance. His work explores ecology, technology, embodiment, and reimagined notions of Chineseness through interdisciplinary media. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Electronic Music Composition at the University of Glasgow.
Sonibaux is a series of digital musical instruments that I have continuously designed, built, and performed with throughout my sonic art practice and live performance work. The project originated from my own performance needs and is built around Arduino and Max/MSP for real-time data processing and sound interaction. Through ongoing artistic practice, I became increasingly interested in the possibilities for digital instruments to support sharing, adaptation, and long-term development, leading to an exploration of a design system that embraces openness, extensibility, and reconfigurability.
This exploration resulted in the core structure of Sonibaux: Box + Sensor. Within this framework, the box functions as a structural and technical carrier, while sensors act as interfaces for perception and interaction, translating bodily actions into sound control data. Through this arrangement, the complexity of the electronic system is organised behind the scenes, enabling performers to engage with sound through direct physical interaction and embodied forms of control.
The design of Sonibaux has been influenced by Dieter Rams’ principle of “Less, but Better.” Through the continual refinement of structure, function, and interaction, the project focuses on preserving essential elements while presenting complex systems through clear and accessible forms. This approach foregrounds the relationships between sound, movement, and perception, while maintaining space for experimentation and creative exploration.
As the project has developed, Sonibaux has evolved into a family of instruments composed of multiple interconnected modules. While sharing a common design logic, individual instruments differ in scale, appearance, sensing technologies, and modes of interaction, generating distinct performance experiences. Some instruments focus on touch and haptic feedback, others explore movement and gesture-based control, while additional configurations investigate alternative approaches to sound generation through different sensing modalities.
These instruments can be used independently or combined within a shared performance environment. Different input methods complement one another to form a multimodal sonic system in which sound production, bodily movement, and spatial relationships continuously interact and evolve. The project explores the dynamic relationships that emerge between instruments, bodies, technologies, and environments during the creative process.
The development of Sonibaux is also connected to an ongoing exploration of open creative practices. The project website brings together documentation, performance materials, and software and hardware developments, while gradually making design resources and technical information available to support future exchange, collaboration, and reinterpretation. As new sensors, technologies, and interaction methods continue to be incorporated, Sonibaux will expand across new contexts and applications, contributing to ongoing conversations in sonic art, electronic music performance, and interdisciplinary creative practice.
CONNECT WITH Bowen Wu