Hypercuica: Augmenting and Performing with an Afro-Brazilian Friction Drum

Luam Clarindo ; Marcelo Wanderley ; Filipe Lopes

Hypercuica: Augmenting and Performing with an Afro-Brazilian Friction Drum
Image credit: Luam Clarindo ; Marcelo Wanderley ; Filipe Lopes

Abstract:

Hypercuíca is an augmented percussion instrument developed from the cuíca, an Afro-Brazilian friction drum traditionally associated with samba carioca. Aiming to expand the cuíca’s sonic affordances, this paper presents a design concept that enables an embodied and dynamic interplay between instrument and performer, mediated through sensors embedded in the cuíca. Hypercuíca’s system integrates microphones, gravity-sensor data, hardware, software, and mapping strategies for gesture-based sound modulation, combining the instrument’s acoustic properties with digital signal processing (DSP). This paper details the technical implementation created to enable sonic modulation through the movement of both the instrument and the performer’s body. The expressive potential of Hypercuíca’s sound is explored through its use in live performance contexts. A design-based research approach was adopted to iteratively prototype, test, and analyse the system, which was developed through performance-based experimentation and informal feedback emerging from public presentations and workshops.