YO! HIPHOP POWER GLOVE BY : WOLF DA DDY
PROJECT : TURBO SUM M ATION 2020
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WORDS FROM THE ARTIST
‘Hand gestures are synonymous with hip-hop performances. Whether to emphasise, dramatise the lyrics or to show allegiance to a gang, hand signs are a part of every hip-hop performer’s repertoire.’
For many hip-hop lovers, Nas’ song “One Mic” is one of the genre’s greatest meditations on the art form. The song conjures up a single image, Nas holding a mic to his mouth with his left hand while gesturing a single drawn out index finger with his right. One mic holding the attention of an entire stadium of adoring fans.
effect, with contracting the finger causing a sound effect to be triggered. With a little bit of programming in what is called a signal processing software, individual or combinations of finger movements can be used to create complex sounds like piano keys, bass sounds and everything you can expect from a synthesiser. The glove can also be used to control visuals and can act as a controller interface for a game. I still need to rehearse with the glove but I am granted full control over my sound and my performance. It is our plan to create more prototypes that suit the needs of different performers.
Hand gestures are synonymous with hip-hop performances. Whether to emphasise, dramatise the lyrics or to show allegiance to a gang, hand signs are a part of every hip-hop performer’s repertoire. Although often lauded for their creative genius in lyricism, the conventional hip-hop performer is often not assosiated with much musicality. Rappers will perform with a DJ or an engineer that support the performer by providing a musical backdrop in the form of a beat or cued vocal effects.While the rapper DJ duo makes for a great experience ,the need for coordination results in countless hours of rehearsals. Furthermore, a single performer has no easy way to control their own sound, making them completely reliant on a DJ.
A RTIST BIO Mark Mushiva is a street poet and hip-hop artist from Namibia. He is one-third of award winning hip-hop poetry trio Black Vulcanite. Mark was born in Lubango, Angola where his parents were stationed as freedom fighters of the Namibian liberation struggle. His political upbringing informs much of his rap and poetry while contemporary influences of anime, skateboarding, hiphop and 80s cyberpunk are also themes Mark explots to add a unique cultural nuance to his work. In light of the radical shifts in cultural and socio-economic factors, Mark states that his current body of work seeks to represent the emergent multicultural consciousness of Namibian youth.
An idea born out of my own frustrations as a rapper, the Hip Hop power glove uses my hand gestures, which are often only used decoratively, and turns them into a communicative mode of creative expression. The movement of every finger can be assigned to a specific sound
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CREATING THE HIP HOP POWER GLOVE
CONCEPTION
PROTOTYPE DESIGN
PRODUCTION
Hand gestures are a means of expression, especially in hip-hop where they augment a lyricist’s words with context and meaning. The Yo! Hip Hop power glove is a wearable technology that allows lyricists to augment their performance based on the movement of their fingers and hand in 3D space. The project was conceptualised and developed during a summer progamme at the School of Machines, Making and Make-Believe. The power glove was developed in preparation of Mark Mushiva’s upcoming solo album ‘Turbo Summation’. Sound design (PureData patches) and composition for the glove were produced collaboratively with Andrew Hockey.
TECHNICA L EXPLA NATION The Hip Hop power glove belongs to a family of data generating wearable technologies called data gloves. A data glove is comprised of various sensors that create a series of data points. What sensors are used usually depends on the kind of data the designer wants to create but they usually involve capturing various aspects of hand movement.
Once processed by the microcontroller, signals can be manipulated programmatically to suit a certain range, a process known as normalization. Normalized values can then be further used in a third-party software, usually involving the I2C protocol when dealing with the hugely popular Arduino platform.
Common sensors on data gloves include but are not limited to: gyroscopes, accelerometers, flex resistors, and magnetometers. Values generated by the glove are typically serialized into different signals, which may then be relayed to a signal processing unit such as an Arduino or other such microcontroller.
Third party signal processing has commonly been used in generative synthesis. A process that algorithmically influences the state of sine waves or oscillators in order to produce different sounds or melodies, work usually reserved for a competent sound designer. PureData, MAX/MSP, Supercollider, Unity, Processing, OpenFrameworks are all signal processing softwares that can be used to create astonishing experiences with data. 4
TECH SPECIFICATIONS
SPECIFICATIONS
5 x flex sensors 1x arduino nano board 1 8x neo-pixel strip (addressable LEDs) 1x 0.96-inch oled display 1x 6 DOF MPU-6050 5x vibration motors with haptic driver
❶ DF Robot Flex Sensor 2.2 " ❷ 3V DC Vibration Motors 10Mm X 2.5Mm Disc Shape
❸ NeoPixel Stick - 8 x WS2812 5050 RGB LED with Integrated Drivers
❹ Kuman
0.96 Inch White IIC Moudle I2 °C IIC Serial 128X64
5 Elegoo ❹
Compatible Nano Board for Arduino
6 MPU-6050 ❹
Module 3 Axis Gyroscope + 3 Axis accelerometer
5V Power source mini-usb
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SCHOOLOFMA EXHIBITION
Top left: Mark Mushiva performing, Top right: Exhibition visitors, Bottom: Helen Leigh and Mark Mushiva
SCHOOL OF M ACHINES, M A KING A ND M A K E-BELIEV E, PHYSICA L COMPUTING GROUP, BERLIN, 2019
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THE MAKER
WOLF DA DDY CREATIV E TECHNOLOGIST Wolf daddy is a creative technologist whose work lies at the intersection of 80s cyberpunk, utopianism, black consciousness, and computer science. His creations aim to sensitize black African performers and artists to the opportunities of interactive technologies and open source electronics. He does this with the hope that it will inspire new visions of how technology can augment cultural and performative aspects, of which Africa boasts an uncontested richness. Wolf daddy has made everything from interactive games for intergenerational cohorts to laser suits for black queer stand-up comedians. www.markmushiva.com mmushiva@gmail.com
Demo video: https://youtu.be/NNLzhf55rIM
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