Sounds Like Rain: Prototyping Flexible Electronics for Wearable Interactions with Water

Jessica Stanley (Nottingham Trent University)*

Sounds Like Rain: Prototyping Flexible Electronics for Wearable Interactions with Water
Image credit: Jessica Stanley (Nottingham Trent University)*
  • The registration for this workshop is managed by the workshop chairs. A sign-up form will be circulated in late May
  • Type: In person
  • Room Location: 018
  • Morning (9am-1pm)
  • Signup Deadline: June 19th AoE (first-come first-served)
  • Contact Email: here

Abstract:

Electronics and water are usually kept far apart, yet artists and makers have long brought the two together to create unpredictable and interesting sound. In the history of NIME, water has appeared only occasionally, from the hydraulophone, which used flowing water as a performance medium, to Drawing Space with Rain (NIME 2025), which transformed raindrop flow across an umbrella into sound. This workshop brings together sound, rain, and the body, for playful and embodied soundmaking.

Building on the 2024 Rainy Day Synths project developed at PIFcamp in Slovenia, the workshop explores how moisture-activated copper-tape sensors can be rapidly prototyped and combined with small analog synthesizer circuits to create wearable rain-responsive instruments. Participants will design their own moisture sensors (optionally submitted in advance for vinyl cutting), build and test them using pre-fabricated oscillator circuits, and attach them to lightweight rain ponchos. Through controlled wetting, using droplets, spray bottles, or real rain if the weather cooperates, participants investigate how water travels across the body and activates sound in surprising ways.

The workshop emphasises accessible materials, quick iteration, and embodied exploration rather than polished prototypes. It also forms part of an ongoing project on DIY flexible electronics and accessible fabrication, guided by prior workshops at fablabs and hacker camps. By inviting participants to let rain ‘play’ their circuits, the workshop contributes to growing NIME conversations around environmental interfaces, material improvisation, and sustainable, low-cost approaches to designing new musical expressions.

Workshop website: https://www.jstan.co/nime-2026-sounds-like-rain/