EV 1 at The STEAM Engine
EV 1 installed at The STEAM Engine exhibit, Rhizome DC, December 2025
EV 1 is the first in a series of viola-like prototypes designed by Brian Lindgren to explore the augmentation of a bowed string instrument. As a STEAM-inspired work, it links the lineage of acoustic performance with emerging forms of digital sound. The instrument includes a homemade quad pickup, sensors embedded in the fingerboard, internal wiring, vibration-dampening material, and two companion boxes containing a custom preamplifier and a microcontroller for analog to digital conversion. It served as a platform for bowed-string synthesis, including spectral processing and FFT convolution.
EV 1 also reflects a globalized world where inexpensive parts and labor make such experimentation possible, reshaping how scarcity, value, and tradition are understood.
The accompanying audio is drawn from an AI model trained on four hours of EV recordings, raising questions about whether AI produces empty imitations or new forms of intelligence rooted in human craft.
Exhibited at the STEAM Engine Opening Reception, Rhizome DC, December 2025.
EV 1 appears on the albums Etudes & Vignettes and Nuages.
Brian Lindgren with EV 1
Exhibition program