The Quiet Interval

Ma 間

Eight small signals from your phone play a slow Balinese gamelan. No two sittings sound the same.

Begin

Eight channels

Let the phone speak

Each trigram is a signal and an instrument. A signal that rises brings its instrument forward; one that falls lets it rest. With no sensors on, all eight drift slowly by themselves.

Switch on only what you want

Nothing starts until you tap a switch, and each one turns off again. Readings are processed on this phone. Nothing is recorded or sent. Some browser views block sensors; those channels keep drifting on their own.

Motion and orientationMoves gong, bronze keys, bamboo and drumOff
MicrophoneBreathe toward the phone to play the xiaoOff
CameraRoom brightness sets how busy the shimmering keys areOff

Tap anywhere on the page to strike a bronze bell; left is low, right is high. Hold still to let it ring. The small gongs follow the hour.

Listen

A slow gamelan

The music follows Semar Pagulingan, the softest of the Balinese court ensembles. Paired keys are tuned a few hertz apart so their tone shimmers, as Balinese bronze does. A sixteen-beat melody repeats and changes a little each time. Every few minutes the piece moves to a new section, and now and then to a new mode.

Fade out after

Every note is synthesized on your phone as it plays. Low volume and headphones suit it best.

This moment

Hexagram of the moment

The strongest channel takes the upper place and the second strongest the lower. When one channel rules alone, it doubles. Each time the melody changes, the current hexagram seeds the new phrase.

Goods

Tea

間

Tea bags

A first tea for the quiet hour. Flavor, price and ordering will open here soon.

Silence Tap play to begin