Synchrometrics

This project investigates how bodies, tools, and machines can collaborate, taking work songs as a conceptual framework.

The research began by documenting forms of labour, ranging from domestic tasks to urban construction, and analysing their repetitive rhythms and gestures. These studies informed the design of a series of experimental “body extension” devices, which tested new modes of interaction and coordination between individuals. These experiments highlighted how tools and devices can extend bodily capacities while generating unexpected forms of coordination.

Building on these explorations, the project turned to Building Maintenance Units (BMUs) as a testing ground to bridge the scale of the body and the city. The outcome was The Machine, an interactive 1:100 model controlled through machine learning. Human movements were translated into machine operations, documented as notational drawings, transformed into musical scores, and finally into sound. This established a circular pedagogical framework, where users learn coordination through a feedback loop of body, machine, and rhythm.

Through these experiments, the project proposes an alternative form of architectural “instruction”, not limited to drawings or written specifications, but expanded to include rhythm and sound as temporal and embodied media for fostering collaboration and conviviality.