Pillow Talk

Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, Kayla Yadzi, and Michael Mulshine

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract

Pillow Talk is a collection of seven textile-based interactive electronic sound sculptures, each featuring a unique sensor-based interaction method to control distinct sonic and visual materials. The authors consider fashion a functional art and garments as wearable interfaces centering human touch and embodied individual and cultural experience. Pillow Talk suggests that fashion might embrace visual and sonic expression alike. Bridging fashion design with electroacoustic composition, physical interaction, and digital signal processing, each of the seven sculptures is focused on the integration of specific sensors (i.e. capacitive, distance, and light) and materials (i.e. conductive fibers and yarns, copper wire, and more) to invite human touch and physical interaction. Sonic materials for each sculpture are preloaded onto Bela microcontrollers and triggered, looped, and/or processed through programs written in Pure Data, C++, and RNBO. Each sculpture centers the use of a specific sensor type: capacitive touch (Trill), ultrasonic distance, and light (photoresistors). Custom PCB boards were designed to efficiently interface between the various sensors and Bela GPIOs. The majority of the sculptures incorporate thirteen individual sensors per unit, enabling a dense field of interactive inputs across each garment. This multiplicity supports layered mappings between gesture and sonic response, allowing performers to explore and engage with dynamic soundscapes that communicate the unique spatial and textural qualities of the garment. Through this distributed sensing architecture, interaction is experienced not as a single point of control but as a continuous, embodied dialogue between the body, the textile surface, and an evolving sound world. Designed by sisters Kayla and Kimia, the sculptures were developed with femininity in mind, exploring softness, intimacy, and vulnerability, as well as resilience, power, and strength with boundaries, as both aesthetic and conceptual frameworks, and in the placement of sensors and the careful choice of materials. The authors desired to design an experience that encouraged intimate playfulness, curiosity, discovery, and surprise. The sensors are embedded in such a way that–while not hidden–they merge with the textile and garment design. The textiles for each sculpture are also carefully selected for their tactile qualities, enabling varied hand-feel experiences while supporting different sensing mechanisms and modes of engagement. Importantly, each sculpture offers two pairs of headphones allowing simultaneous engagement by two performers, thus expanding the possibilities for play and audiovisual exploration beyond solitary self-focus to become a social activity. In line with the NIME 2026 theme of "Communities," Pillow Talk creates space for connection, where touch, sound, and shared presence are intertwined. By centering physical touch and shared listening, the project expands conventional ideas of musical performance and reception through intimate, co-participatory interfaces. The ultimate goal of the collection is to offer wearable interfaces for musicians, dancers, choreographers, and other expressive people. Pillow Talk integrates digital musical instruments with material craft, and through its interdisciplinary nature across fashion, sound, and interaction design, situates the project within a wider creative and musical community.

Citation

Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi, Kayla Yadzi, and Michael Mulshine. 2026. Pillow Talk. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20782024 [PDF]

BibTeX Entry

@inproceedings{nime2026_music_1,
 abstract = {Pillow Talk is a collection of seven textile-based interactive electronic sound sculptures, each featuring a unique sensor-based interaction method to control distinct sonic and visual materials. The authors consider fashion a functional art and garments as wearable interfaces centering human touch and embodied individual and cultural experience. Pillow Talk suggests that fashion might embrace visual and sonic expression alike. Bridging fashion design with electroacoustic composition, physical interaction, and digital signal processing, each of the seven sculptures is focused on the integration of specific sensors (i.e. capacitive, distance, and light) and materials (i.e. conductive fibers and yarns, copper wire, and more) to invite human touch and physical interaction.  Sonic materials for each sculpture are preloaded onto Bela microcontrollers and triggered, looped, and/or processed through programs written in Pure Data, C++, and RNBO. Each sculpture centers the use of a specific sensor type: capacitive touch (Trill), ultrasonic distance, and light (photoresistors). Custom PCB boards were designed to efficiently interface between the various sensors and Bela GPIOs. The majority of the sculptures incorporate thirteen individual sensors per unit, enabling a dense field of interactive inputs across each garment. This multiplicity supports layered mappings between gesture and sonic response, allowing performers to explore and engage with dynamic soundscapes that communicate the unique spatial and textural qualities of the garment. Through this distributed sensing architecture, interaction is experienced not as a single point of control but as a continuous, embodied dialogue between the body, the textile surface, and an evolving sound world. Designed by sisters Kayla and Kimia, the sculptures were developed with femininity in mind, exploring softness, intimacy, and vulnerability, as well as resilience, power, and strength with boundaries, as both aesthetic and conceptual frameworks, and in the placement of sensors and the careful choice of materials. The authors desired to design an experience that encouraged intimate playfulness, curiosity, discovery, and surprise. The sensors are embedded in such a way that–while not hidden–they merge with the textile and garment design. The textiles for each sculpture are also carefully selected for their tactile qualities, enabling varied hand-feel experiences while supporting different sensing mechanisms and modes of engagement. Importantly, each sculpture offers two pairs of headphones allowing simultaneous engagement by two performers, thus expanding the possibilities for play and audiovisual exploration beyond solitary self-focus to become a social activity.  In line with the NIME 2026 theme of "Communities," Pillow Talk creates space for connection, where touch, sound, and shared presence are intertwined. By centering physical touch and shared listening, the project expands conventional ideas of musical performance and reception through intimate, co-participatory interfaces. The ultimate goal of the collection is to offer wearable interfaces for musicians, dancers, choreographers, and other expressive people. Pillow Talk integrates digital musical instruments with material craft, and through its interdisciplinary nature across fashion, sound, and interaction design, situates the project within a wider creative and musical community.},
 address = {London, United Kingdom},
 articleno = {1},
 author = {Kimia Koochakzadeh-Yazdi and Kayla Yadzi and Michael Mulshine},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20782024},
 editor = {Lia Mice and Nicole Robson and Tara Pattenden},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 note = {Installation},
 numpages = {4},
 pages = {1--4},
 presentation-video = {https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx2zsm7cuRs},
 title = {Pillow Talk},
 track = {Music},
 url = {http://nime.org/proceedings/2026/nime2026_music_1.pdf},
 year = {2026}
}