16-{CdS}: A Surface Controller for the Simultaneous Manipulation of Multiple Analog Components

This paper presents a project that discusses a brief history of artistic systems that use photoresistors (light-dependent resistors) and results in the construction of an interface and performance controller. The controller combines an Arduino microcontroller with a grid of photoresistors set into a slab of wood covered with a thin acrylic sheet. A brief background on past uses of these components for music and film composition and instrument-building introduces a few different implementations and performance contexts for the controller. Topics such as implementation, construction, and performance possibilities (including electroacoustic and audio-visual performance) of the controller are also discussed.