Tower Bridge commissioned Di to ‘make the bridge sing‘ in celebration of their 125th anniversary. The film re-imagines the Bridge as a giant musical instrument and draws inspiration from one of the first women to work on the Bridge – Hannah Griggs who was cook for the Bridge Master and his family between 1911-15. The film … Continue reading Time Bascule a commission for Tower Bridge
As part of the Vote 100 Centenary celebrations in 2018 interactive artist and filmmaker Di Mainstone and musician and producer Mandy Wigby and founded D.N.W. (Deeds Not Words) as a way to explore narratives of the Suffragettes through experimental music, costume, props, and short film. To begin with, we made two short films using … Continue reading D.N.W. Chapter 1 for Vote 100 Centenary
The northeast of England’s newest landmark was closed to allow it to become a “musical instrument”. More than 1,000 people gathered at Sunderland’s recently-opened Northern Spire bridge across the River Wear for Sunday’s one-off event. Visitors were able to listen to sounds of the bridge and view it through specially designed seaside-style kaleidoscopes called Wonderloopers. … Continue reading WONDERLOOPER PLAYING NORTHERN SPIRE BRIDGE
Time Mirror was commissioned by the Lakes Ignite festival which took place in the Lake District throughout the summer of 2018. Time Mirror is an interactive sculpture, made from polished steel, that reflects Blackwell’s dramatic Lake District surroundings. The piece allows audiences of all ages to experience and capture the cultural landscape in an experimental and … Continue reading Time Mirror at Blackwell Arts and Crafts House
Artist Di Mainstone, received funding from Arts Council England to develop new work for the Supersenses exhibition, and worked with a team including musicians Mandy Wigby and Howie Jacobs, Bradford based games designers Kriss and Shi Blank, interaction designer Paul Miller and producer Annie Keane. SOUNDPIT The Sensory Soundpit is a pioneering instrument for the … Continue reading Soundpit Commissioned by National Science and Media Museum
Thinking Digital Arts commissioned Di to create a design fiction film inspired by the Sage, Gateshead – a concert venue and also a centre for musical education, located in Gateshead on the south bank of the River Tyne, in the North East of England. It was designed by Fosters and Partners and was opened in 2004 and is tenanted … Continue reading Banistonica a film made at Sage Gateshead
Di was picked to be one of twelve WIRED Innovation Fellows from around the globe. The fellows came from a range of backgrounds such as bionic arm builder Samantha Payne, Singer and multi-instrumentalist Gingger Shankar, Sun storm scientist Miho Janvier, AR and VR pioneer Ed Barton, Afghan educator Roya Mahboob, and pashmina goat farmer Babar Afzal. … Continue reading WIRED Innovation Fellow
A Happening at the National Portrait Gallery, 20th January 2017 Commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and curated by electronic musician Martyn Ware, Everything You Can Imagine is Real was a happening that drew inspiration from the Picasso portrait exhibition. Like Picasso’s circle in Montmartre in the first decade of the 20th century, for one night … Continue reading Cubist Portrait Machine at National Portrait Gallery
Manchester based duo the Architects of Rosslyn were commissioned by Delia Derbyshire Day to respond to the inspiring Delia Derbyshire archive with a live soundtrack to a ‘dream sequence’ collage of my films. The Architects of Rosslyn comprise of producer-composer Mandy Wigby and composer-musician Howard Jacobs. They have since performed the work at the Festival … Continue reading Delia Derbyshire Day with Architects of Rosslyn
Di was awarded the artist in residence position for Manchester’s European City of Science 2016 The Sensory Soundpit is an immersive experience, where the audience get the chance to create sounds and visuals by playing with sand. Di comments, “In a world where so much of our technology is encased in aluminium boxes or simply invisible, … Continue reading Sensory Soundpit Commissioned by the European City of Science
Di relocated to the city of Bristol, UK to pursue a dream of playing Clifton Suspension Bridge by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, like a giant harp! 2015 is the 150th anniversary of the Bristol’s legendary Clifton Suspension Bridge, so Human Harp have decided to celebrate this milestone by creating a musical device that can #PlayTheBridge like … Continue reading Human Harp on Clifton Suspension Bridge
An Interactive instrument – digital and mechanical Sound Travel Engineered by Di Mainstone and Adam Stark Performance by Hollie Miller Commissioned by Re-Animate for the National Portrait Gallery and funded by Queen Mary University of London. The NPG’s wig-heavy halls also provided a great space for happy discoveries like The Atmospheric Railway, a dance act involving … Continue reading Atmospheric Railway at the National Portrait Gallery
Di tested Human Harp on Bob Kerrey Suspension Bridge in Omaha, with a team of collaborators from the local community… By Di Mainstone, Dereck Higgins & collaborators from Bemis Centre Omaha, curated by Amanda McDonald Crowley Di Mainstone spent September and October 2014 in residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha where … Continue reading Human Harp on Bob Kerrey Suspension Bridge
A reflective sound experiment involving Hollie’s head and a mirror By Di Mainstone, and Hollie Miller, Toby Summerskill, Sam Edwards & Adam Stark Holipopheads is a collaboration between Di Mainstone and Hollie Miller. The concept is of a wearable portrait. A girl appears in a space with a suitcase. She opens it to reveal a collection … Continue reading Hollipophead
Human Harp is a clip-on instrument that transforms suspension bridges into giant harps By Di Mainstone & collaborators from around the globe and funded by Queen Mary University of London Imagined on the Brooklyn Bridge by Di Mainstone and launched in partnership with Queen Mary University of London, Human Harp is a clip-on instrument that transforms suspension … Continue reading Human Harp on Brooklyn Bridge
Di Mainstone is a Global Ambassador for Sennheiser’s Momentum Campaign – inspiring a new generation of sound stalkers to experiment… What’s your MOMENTUM? Sennheiser together with Spotify, is telling the stories of a hugely diverse yet 100% inspirational group of 100 people, following their journeys and learning more about their passion, their lives and their … Continue reading Ambassador for Sennheiser’s Momentum Campaign
A sleeping woman’s internal thoughts extrude through the surface of her skin in the form of words and numbers By Di Mainstone, Hollie Miller, Heiko Prigge, Judy Jacob, Adam Stark, Liisa Pesonen As seen at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner 2014 Words & Numbers visualises a woman’s internal thoughts as they burst through … Continue reading Words & Numbers at Cannes Film Festival
Whimsichord comprises of wearable-sculptures that connect to the body, playfully transforming physical movement into sound By Di Mainstone and Dave Meckin, funded by Queen Mary University of London and the Barbican The Whimsichord is a wearable interactive musical installation that will react to the movement and touch of users (or Movicians) responding with sound. We have … Continue reading Whimsichord Commissioned by the Barbican
Hydrocordion is a playful musical device that invites us to become ‘squeezicians’ and compose soundscapes through the manipulation of air and water By Di Mainstone, Louis Mcallum, Nanda Karpong & Richard Shed and Funded by Queen Mary University of London and Dublin Science Gallery Hydrocordion was installed in Dublin Science Gallery in September 2011 for 3 … Continue reading Hydrocordion at the Science Gallery
A sound experiment involving Hollie’s head and lots of shuttlecocks By Di Mainstone, Hollie Miller, Tim Murray Browne, Sam Edwards and Toby Summerskill Shuttleflock is a collaboration between Di Mainstone and Hollie Miller. The ideas was to create a sound sculpture out of a shuttlecock! Di found a job-lot of 1970s shuttlecocks in a local … Continue reading Shuttleflock
A sonic prosthetic enabling the exploration of sound through movement By Di Mainstone, Tim Murray Browne and Dave Meckin Di Mainstone and Tim Murray Browne were commissioned to create Serendiptichord for 2009 Creativity & Cognition, Berkeley Art Museum, California. .The piece was funded by Queen Mary University of London. The result of a cross-disciplinary investigation … Continue reading Serendipitichord at Berkeley Art Museum, California
Combining graffiti, fashion, technology and performance, Vi-Regalia was created as part of Di’s residency at Eyebeam Centre for art and technology in New York City An exploration of the body through architectural space; Vi-Regalia discovers the hidden narratives that lurk within the everyday. This series of fragmented 2-dimensional structures are left in public spaces, … Continue reading Vi-Regalia at Eyebeam, New York
Peggy-Sue is a tessellated 2 dimensional structure that can be applied to the neck, waist and head. The piece can be stored on the wall and applied to the body to create inspiring 3D shapes that transform, morph and redefine the human form. A playful structure Peggy-Sue encourages interaction and play. Process Peggy-Sue was created … Continue reading Peggy-Sue, Eyebeam, New York
An exploration of the body within architectural space An exploration of the body within architectural space; Vi-Rigami is a soft tessellated 2 dimensional structure. Found on the wall and applied to the body, Vi-Rigami can be folded and transformed to morph and redefine the human form. Inspired by the art of origami, this playful structure … Continue reading Vi-Rigami, Eyebeam, New York
Like a tortoise, we carry our worldly possessions on our back, never lost because we are always at home… She built a home around her sister. It was fashioned from shared memories found in a box. Reassuring ribbons of light from beneath the kitchen door, fabric-covered buttons on the armrest of their grandparents’ favourite sofa, … Continue reading Sharewear, V2_Institute for the Unstable Media
Skorpions are a set of kinetic electronic garments that move and change on the body in slow, organic motions. They breathe and pulse, controlled by their own internal programming. They are not “interactive” artifacts insofar as their programming does not respond to simplistic sensor data. They have intentionality; they are programmed to live, to exist, … Continue reading Skorpions, XS Labs, Montreal
Following a series of experimental fashion collaborations with engineers, dancers and architects, Di joined Sara Diamond at the Banff New Media Institute to investigate wearable technology and create a series of electronic fashion garments, Company Keeper and Emotional Ties. This is the collective creation of the media artists Di Mainstone and Sara Diamond, during their shared residency at the Banff New … Continue reading Company Keeper commissioned by Banff New Media Insitute