Piet, an artist from Brussels, has created the "Metal Forest" an interactive foray into sound, metal, and the combination of human touch and machine sound.

Approaching the installation, one might think the metal scrap does something more then just be standing there. Indeed, the metal objects were carefully selected in a silly mood to be connected to an electronics-computer set-up.

Some basic technology (arduino & pure data) makes it possible to translate the human touching of metal into synthesised sound. In short, the electrical resistance is measured and translated into a number, which is sent to the music software on the computer.

The electrical resistance is a wonderful electrical dimension to play with when it comes to the human touch. The hands are more then average wired with neurons and foreseen of many little knees, making it an extremely motoric sensing instrument. The human motoric skills being connected to a powerful graphical music programming software makes the installation an easy and powerful music instrument that is great fun to play with.