The Gift of Chaos: Rob Hordijk's Open Design Philosophy and the Formation of Post-Digital Instrument Communities

Pere Amengual-Gomila, and Alfredo Sanz-Hervás

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

This paper explores the legacy of electronic instrument designer Rob Hordijk (1958–2022) as a valid and meaningful alternative to proprietary paradigms in music technology. While certain designs like the Benjolin were explicitly offered as a "gift to the community", Hordijk's broader practice, rooted in the "Dutch West Coast" school of synthesis, relied on a nuanced intellectual property model based on personal prestige and the concept of "prior art". This research investigates a central question: How does a deliberate reliance on community-validated authorship and hand-made quality facilitate the formation of resilient, non-hierarchical communities of practice?Drawing on primary sources and personal communications, the study traces the formation of Hordijk's community through two pivotal axes: the EEME 2007 in Belgium and the EEME 2012 in Mallorca. By examining the Blippulator (designed by Biyi Amez, Hordijk's designated successor) as a tool for "ethical reverse engineering", this paper argues that Hordijk's designs act as social catalysts. In alignment with the NIME 2026 theme of "Communities", this research shows how trust-based design models foster resilient artistic ecosystems that challenge industrial hegemony through a collective "custodianship of knowledge".

Citation

Pere Amengual-Gomila, and Alfredo Sanz-Hervás. 2026. The Gift of Chaos: Rob Hordijk's Open Design Philosophy and the Formation of Post-Digital Instrument Communities. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20784277 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry


@inproceedings{nime2026_91,
abstract = {This paper explores the legacy of electronic instrument designer Rob Hordijk (1958–2022) as a valid and meaningful alternative to proprietary paradigms in music technology. While certain designs like the Benjolin were explicitly offered as a "gift to the community", Hordijk's broader practice, rooted in the "Dutch West Coast" school of synthesis, relied on a nuanced intellectual property model based on personal prestige and the concept of "prior art". This research investigates a central question: How does a deliberate reliance on community-validated authorship and hand-made quality facilitate the formation of resilient, non-hierarchical communities of practice?Drawing on primary sources and personal communications, the study traces the formation of Hordijk's community through two pivotal axes: the EEME 2007 in Belgium and the EEME 2012 in Mallorca. By examining the Blippulator (designed by Biyi Amez, Hordijk's designated successor) as a tool for "ethical reverse engineering", this paper argues that Hordijk's designs act as social catalysts. In alignment with the NIME 2026 theme of "Communities", this research shows how trust-based design models foster resilient artistic ecosystems that challenge industrial hegemony through a collective "custodianship of knowledge".},
address = {London, United Kingdom},
articleno = {91},
author = {Pere Amengual-Gomila and Alfredo Sanz-Hervás},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20784277},
editor = {Benedict Gaster and João Tragtenberg and Anna Xambó and Tom Mitchell},
issn = {2220-4806},
month = {June},
numpages = {7},
pages = {767--773},
presentation-video = {https://youtu.be/dCp6it-89io},
title = {The Gift of Chaos: Rob Hordijk's Open Design Philosophy and the Formation of Post-Digital Instrument Communities},
track = {paper},
url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_91.pdf},
year = {2026}
}