Exploring Identity Through Design: A Focus on the Cultural Body Via Nami

Identity is inextricably linked to culture and sustained through creation and performance of music and dance, yet discussion of agency and cultural tools informing design and performance application of gestural controllers is not widely discussed. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the cultural body, its consideration in existing gestural controller design, and how cultural design methods have the potential to extend musical/social identities and/or traditions within a technological context. In an effort to connect and reconnect with the author's personal Nikkei heritage, this paper will discuss the design of Nami – a custom built gestural controller and its applicability to extend the author's cultural body through a community-centric case study performance.