Bubbletron 4000

The Bubbletron 4000 is a giant, interactive, inflatable instrument/sculpture and was created by myself and Kirissa Grams. The first step to creating the Bubbletron was to tape many large sheets of clear plastic together into a large dome-like sphere. This sphere was about 8 ft wide on all sides and 12 ft tall when inflated. The “bubble” was inflated by connecting a large floor fan to the inside of the sphere with an 8 ft long tube made out of the same plastic material used for the “bubble”. We also created a hatch-like door on the side of the bubble so that we could get inside of the bubble once it was inflated. We then attached two different contact microphones to opposite walls inside of the bubble. These contact microphones were taken from the Kawasaki Drum Kit mentioned in an earlier blog. We soldered ¼ inch female jacks to the contact mics and then connected the microphones to multiple audio effect processors housed inside of the bubble. We also taped a contact microphone to the end of the inflation input tube. As air flowed into the bubble, the input tube flailed and waved around. The sound of the waving tube was also sent to an effects processor. All of the contact mics were amplified by a large amplifier and speakers housed inside of the bubble. The waving tube created a constantly changing sound that was very similar to the sound of thunder. The contact microphones placed on the inside walls of the bubble created very interesting sounds when the bubble was touched by someone on the outside. This sound changed depending on where the bubble was touched. The bubble could also be played by firing a “super soaker” at the sides of the bubble. All of the electronic equipment was protected from the water by the bubble walls. The bubble was set up outside on the St. Cloud State University campus and was up for about four hours. During this time, many different people interacted with the bubble and created many different unique sounds. One individual discovered that very dramatic squeaking sounds could be created by pushing their fingers hard across the plastic. The next time we set up the Bubbletron, it will have more contact mics and therefore, more potential sounds. We will also set it up earlier in the day when there is more foot traffic in the area.