iBand Transforming R & D

Visual and performing artists have long been a creative influence in commercial research and development.

iBand is a Viennese trio who first gained attention in February on the video-sharing website YouTube with its music video ‘Life is Greater than the Internet’.  Its members are skilled in the use of a range of conventional musical instruments.  They chose the iPhone and iPod Touch to create the music in this exhibition.  The trio scored a hit on the Internet by utilizing the gadgets as a guitar, a keyboard and a set of drums.

Fascinated by the possibilities of the new Apple iPhone, the three band members, Marina, Roger and Seb all in their mid-20s, imported the pocket-sized gadgets as soon as the devices were sold in the United States.  They experimented with the devices’ accompanying software, creating the clip below, which displays a bird's eye view of six hands wearing fingerless gloves and typing away at three modified touchscreens.  This clip has been viewed over 2.8 million times on YouTube.

The iBand members describe themselves as creative hacks. The term ‘hack’s’ original use was to describe a clever, ethical prank, or the modification of software with another, more practical application.  The ‘true’ hack is often fiendishly clever, but is not intentionally malicious or destructive, being mainly concerned with addressing a challenge.