Myriphon is an interactive genetic soundscape that responds when visitors answer questions about their genetic traits. Myriphon takes its name from a 1901 wall size instrument of moving discs. This 21st Century Myriphon has 23 discs, representing the 23 genetic markers, that move and shift as new genetic infomation is received.

Presented at the Rochester Art Center, this installation was commissioned for Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code, an exhibit produced by the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and the National Institutes of Health’s National Human Genome Research Institute, and brought to Rochester by the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine.

View from the third floor atrium at the Rochester Art Center.

Placing your hands over the console’s infrared sensor activates instruments and musical chord structures based on your genomic traits, allowing you to compose a unique soundtrack.

Laser etched interface for Myriphon.