Sunday April 25 * Noon-2pm * PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Hey now, for the first time in what feels like 17 years, it’s a workshop by VauxFlores, albeit adapted to fit within the confines of the new normal after our little biological societal collapse.

Picking up where we left off in those innocent, innocent times, our first foray back into the world of (socially distanced) DIY will be another workshop featuring the EyeTron - small, yet surprisingly complex little light-sensitive noise maker from VF designed for weirdos, STEM evangelists, musicians and the brave and the bold looking to stick their head above ground and cautiously interact with other humans without the regulation of a video application.

So what is it? Well, it’s obviously an optical synthesizer. And it’s obviously related to our other synth, the Eyecillator, which was a small, light-controlled, chirpy little synthesizer, for those in need of a refresher to our particular lexicon. In fact, it’s actually three Eyecillators on one board. However, unlike the Eyecillator, instead of using some wacky phone ringer chip to add extra chirpy-ness we went another route – in this case eschewing a traditional mixer section in favor of a CMOS-based pseudo ring-mod chip, heavily inspired by Korg’s MS synths and (probably even moreso) the world of Tom Bugs. The sound is… thud-like.

For those looking for more or a description on the mechanics of it all beyond a random Captain Beefheart quote, dig this: the first two Eyecillators are modulated together. Then, that output is modulated by another Eyecillator. The result – a quite angry mixture of square waves, rage and chaos. And we all love those, right? And if you don’t, hey, there’s a cute penguin on the back to make up for the shortcomings. And everyone loves cute. Everyone.

Ala logistics: the workshop will go from 12 PM – 2 PM and all materials will be provided. No prior electronics experience is needed and yes, you get to keep this synth at the end of the workshop. Price is $60 and since it’s an autonomous noisemaker, no guitar, etc is needed unless you really, really want to share something. As with VF workshops from before the bug, we strive to keep the atmosphere casual, informative and friendly – and SAFE. Speaking of, for those wondering what precautions we’ll be taking, the workshop will be outdoors, we will be practicing social distancing, all tools will be sanitized before and after use, masks will be mandatory and your intrepid instructor is fully vaccinated. Also, attendance will be limited to 5 and a small VauxFlores pop-up shop will also be on-site for anyone interested in nabbing something without having to solder it themselves, as per tradition. Likewise, for anyone interested in sticking around, this will also be the first day of a VauxFlores gallery show at Rhizome featuring about a decade’s worth of weird instruments and other goofy artwork for anyone interested in checking it out.