The SoniColumn by Jin-Yo Mok is a simple design in which LEDs light up when touched and are played as the notes of a music box as one turns the crank controlling the tall column of lights. It is meant to be a look into the relationship that digital art has with analog art. It is actually quite a beautiful display and shows how a very simple technology, such as the mechanism found in music boxes, can be combined with a digital aesthetic to create something that, at least appears to be, pleasurable to use, view and listen to.
In a culture where computer interfaces are often replacing manual operations that require physical force this piece stands out as a beautiful combination of the feel of a simple analog operation system with a digital aesthetic that I think would create a much more enjoyable user experience than many software interfaces. The level of interest in this piece has the potential to be a good indicator of how much those of living in a culture where software more and more pervades common experience still value the use of analog mechanisms. If such a piece were to be scaled down and marketed as a consumer product, examining the sales of such a product and the overall consumer response to such a product could provide industrial designers with further knowledge of how to incorporate analog mechanisms into a variety of user interfaces.