The Accessible Instrument
Credit: Tyler Rizzuto
Credit: Tyler Rizzuto
“No matter what tools you use to create,
the true instrument is you.
And through you,
the universe that surrounds us
all comes into focus.”
The Accessible Instrument is a collaborative, interactive sound installation that blends large-scale sculpture, embedded motion sensors, and generative audio to create a healing, somatic experience. Designed by sculptor Michael Fortenberry and sound artist Michael Simonelli, the work invites participants to engage with the sculptures through movement and play. Hidden sensors inside the suspended wooden forms convert gestures into sound via a wireless system built on Arduino microcontrollers and IMU data, interpreted live in MaxMSP.
The installation's name carries a dual meaning: it is both an accessible musical interface—open to anyone, regardless of training—and a metaphor for the body itself as an expressive, sensory "instrument." The sculptures, some suspended and swinging, are intentionally irregular in shape and mass, requiring bodily awareness to engage safely and fully. This interaction gently encourages participants to enter their own physical space, engage their parasympathetic nervous system, and rediscover a sense of unstructured play.
Informed by the artists’ backgrounds in yoga and meditation, the work creates an environment where somatic engagement becomes a pathway to mindfulness. It draws on therapeutic frameworks such as Dr. Amber Elizabeth Gray’s "portals of embodiment" (weight, time, space) and Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen’s Body-Mind Centering principles. Movement therapists and educators have already identified the piece’s strong potential in clinical, rehabilitative, and pedagogical settings.
Participants can enter the installation without needing any musical or technical knowledge. When sculptures are touched, spun, or moved, they trigger immersive soundscapes: drones, white noise, and birdcalls. These auditory textures are both reactive and calming. The environment fosters creative expression and nervous system regulation through play, grounding, and sensory feedback.
Exhibits:
2025 The Accessible Instrument, Headstone Gallery, Kingston, NY
2023 Artist From Outside; Take a Breath, Jackson Dinsdale Art Center, Hastings, NE
2023 Kaatsbaan Visual Art Reception, Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, Tivoli, NY
2023 Take a Breath, Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art, New Paltz, NY