Sensing Presence: A Live Music Video Gallery Prototype

Concept

This project is a small-scale prototype of an idea that keeps coming back to me: a live music video as gallery installation. The idea is simple: when you're present, the experience continues — lights, sound, narrative. When you're absent, it stops. This interactivity encourages users to keep moving through the space and stay engaged until they reach the end of the story.

Inputs & Outputs

• Inputs:

  • PIR motion sensor (detects presence/movement)

  • Ultrasonic sensor (measures distance)

• Outputs:

  • 15 blue LEDs (motion-controlled)

  • Speaker (distance-controlled tone generation)

How It Works

• The PIR motion sensor is connected to 15 blue LEDs.

  • When motion is detected, the LEDs turn on and stay lit for a few seconds.

  • If no motion is detected, they turn off — pausing the visual part of the experience.

• The ultrasonic sensor triggers the speaker.

  • The tone pitch varies depending on how close or far the viewer is, adding a responsive sound layer.

Arduino Code Screenshots

What I Learned

• Once a pin is declared in Arduino, the entire corresponding row on the breadboard gets powered — not just one hole! This small misunderstanding caused major confusion when I tried to add more LEDs.

• Managing 15 LEDs with one motion sensor was more of a physical wiring challenge than a coding one. At one point, I half-jokingly thought I needed a magnifying glass to wire them all.

• Breadboards aren’t great for transport. Moving it between locations with so many wires and components was a nightmare — I even had to re-solder the speaker wire after it snapped.

• Debugging code is 90% reading line by line and understanding syntax. HUGE shout out to Jess and Brian who helped me make sense of it all.

Documentation from Model 1 to 10

Challenges

• Physical layout and stability of the circuit.

• Debugging the logic once the components were housed inside a makeshift gallery/maze space (built using reused materials from MFTA).

• Understanding how the PIR and sonar sensors would behave in a partially enclosed environment.

Next Steps

• Replace the basic speaker with a sound board for better quality audio output.

• Use addressable LEDs to create richer light effects and reduce pin count.

• Build a scaled-up prototype that includes more intentional physical pathways and narrative design.

• Eventually: a full interactive music video installation experience.

• Future goal: Adafruit sound board for higher-quality audio

Something Worth Sharing

I understood maybe 5% of the code at first. But by combining labs, Googling datasheets, and working with friends, I built something meaningful. The best advice I received: Take it line by line. Syntax by syntax.

Documentation Videos

"Final" product

Resources & References

Here are the tutorials, guides, and tools that helped me bring this project to life:

• Breadboarding Basics: Breadboard Layouts – ITP

• PIR Motion Sensor Guides: SparkFun OpenPIR Hookup GuideAdafruit PIR Motion Sensor Overview

• Arduino Function References:tone() Function – Arduino DocsDigital Input & Output Lab – ITP

• Audio Expansion Ideas: Adafruit Audio FX Sound Board – Product PageTriggering Audio with the Adafruit FX Board

• Slide Reference: Class Slide Example (Google Slides)

Alexandros proudly demonstrates how the sonar sensor works in model 1 of prototype - photo credits Katie