SONG
Experience Design
Spatial Design
UX Design
Overview
This interactive system employs generative algorithms and machine learning technology to randomly trigger ancient musical scores and automatically perform them, recreating lost classical musical realms. The project aims to reflect on the impact of technological progress on perceptions of traditional culture, allowing modern audiences to rediscover the profound beauty of classical art through interactive experiences and immersive audiovisual restoration.
Time
2025 Summer
Categories
Interactive Installation
Creative AI
Tools
Process
Stable Diffusion
Figma
Python
Role
Interaction Designer
Creative Technologist
Problem Definition
In modern social environments, interactions between strangers are often limited and fragmented. While people share the same physical spaces, meaningful connection rarely emerges without a shared medium of expression.
Music has historically served as a universal language that connects people beyond words.
How might we design a shared musical experience create meaningful
connections between strangers?
Context
The guqin is the earliest plucked string instrument of the Han Chinese people, a treasure in Han culture, and the most revered musical instrument in ancient Chinese civilization. Ranked first among the Four Arts: 琴 (music), 棋 (chess), 书 (calligraphy), and 画 (painting), it has been regarded by scholars as the embodiment of refinement. Serving as an accompanying instrument for literati during poetic recitations, the guqin has remained an essential area of knowledge and a required discipline for scholars throughout history.
琴
棋
书
画
Guqin Categories
Style
Feature
Cultural Meaning
Fu xi
One of the oldest forms
Simple structure
Gentle and deep sound
The classical and primitive tradition of guqin playing
Zhong ni
Most common form
Balanced tone
Stable resonance
Deepest connection with Confucian culture
Lian Zhu
Elegant lines
Soft resonance
Delicate tone
Emphasizing the temperament and aesthetics of literati
Luo Xia
Sleek and elongated
Clear and bright tone
High-frequency
Symbolizing natural scenery and poetry
Jiao Ye
Banana leaf form
Deep and resonant tone
Low-frequency
Commonly found in the collections of literati
Musical System
7 Strings
The guqin’s evolution from five to seven strings reflects the growth of Chinese music, philosophy, and society. The early five-string qin symbolized the Five Elements (五行) of nature, while the later seven-string version, standardized during the Han dynasty, allowed richer expression and aligned with Confucian ideas such as the Seven Emotions (七情).
喜
怒
哀
惧
爱
恶
欲
Pentatonic System
Traditional guqin music is based on a pentatonic scale rather than the seven-note system commonly used in Western music. Instead of Do Re Mi, traditional Chinese music uses the syllables Gong, Shang, Jue, Zhi, and Yu to represent the five tones.
Chinese System
Seven-note System
宫 (文)
Do
商 (武)
Re
角
Mi
角
& Stopped Tone
Fa
徵
Sol
羽
La
羽
& Stopped Tone
Xi
Technical Research
Digital Representation of Guqin Music
Guqin melodies are traditionally written in tablature that records finger gestures rather than exact pitches.To process this information computationally, the music was converted into MIDI sequences representing pitch, timing, and expression.
Generative Music Models
To generate melodies in the style of guqin music, the project explores transformer-based generative models trained on MIDI datasets.These models learn patterns such as pentatonic scales, slow rhythms, and melodic spacing typical of traditional guqin music.
Visual–Audio Mapping
Guqin melodies are traditionally written in tablature that records finger gestures rather than exact pitches.
To process this information computationally, the music was converted into MIDI sequences representing pitch, timing, and expression.
System Framework
