CamJam: A Modular Collaborative and Accessible Digital Musical Interface

Frej Lorenzen; Kevin Hansen; Emil Zawistowski; Eirini Liapikou

Image credit: Frej Lorenzen; Kevin Hansen; Emil Zawistowski; Eirini Liapikou

• poster
• Paper PDF link
• Presence: in person
• Type: medium
• Session: Poster Session 2

Abstract:

This paper presents CamJam, a modular, collaborative, and accessible digital musical interface designed to support inclusive music-making. The system enables musicians and non-musicians to engage in shared sound creation through a set of embodied, camera-based interaction modules, each contributing a distinct musical role within a synchronized, loop-based structure. CamJam was developed as a no-fail collaborative environment, in which harmonic constraints and temporal synchronization support intuitive participation without requiring prior musical training. The project explores how camera-based sensing can facilitate expressive yet approachable musical control grounded in embodied interaction design. The system has been explored through iterative testing and group-based user studies involving participants with diverse musical backgrounds. Observations from these studies suggest that CamJam supports intuitive engagement and collaborative play across differing levels of musical experience.