towards a clearer representation
posted Thursday, August 30, 2007
with the enthusiasm surrounding our upcoming designs paired with another company’s release of a seemingly similar device it appears to be a pertinent time to present some realities about monome.
- monome is a project by brian crabtree and kelli cain. we design minimalist hardware interfaces and software. we also make music, films, mechanical installations, and felt. we like to grow and eat vegetables, and we like books and bicycles. hello.
- monome grew out of our art practice, to meet the numerous requests for devices we designed for ourselves. monome is how we support ourselves, though we certainly are not a huge multi-national company.
that said:
- our devices are designed and hand-made in our philadelphia live-work space. all parts are sourced domestically, as locally as possible. (molded silicone pads from pennsylvania, woodwork from atlanta, machined aluminum from maryland, printed circuit boards from colorado.) we’re dedicated to continued implementation of sustainable practices.
- the 40h and new devices are completely reconfigurable. this fundamentally sets the device apart from others. it is not specifically designed for music (though it is well suited for such) and has been used in lighting control, video mixing, and even neural network simulations. the potential for diverse uses is what makes this project so important to us. we look forward to the new and exciting uses our community invents.
- all of our software is free. free to use, free to take apart, free to change for your own inventions.
- we make available schematics, firmware, and hardware specifications. it’s both an invitation for modification and an infinite warranty.
these points in mind, we do not see our designs as “competing” with others. it’s a slightly absurd presumption—we’re doing something entirely different. we’re making available devices with which you can have an entirely different relationship.