For this research project, xaxalxe wants to intersect the art of weaving with electronic music technology to investigate new forms of musical instruments with both tactile and sonic elements. By exploring the application of e-textile techniques to modular synthesizer design, she aims to prototype soft, flexible, and interactive sound-generating textiles that challenge our perception of what a musical instrument can be.

Her research focuses on both the integration of conductive threads and electronic components into traditional weaving techniques, as well as the reimagining of modular synthesizer interfaces as tactile, foldable, stretchable control surfaces.

In this context, she aims to explore the sonic and haptic possibilities of e-textiles by prototyping a series of woven synthesizer module samples. These textile samples could ultimately serve as modular components of a larger interconnected textile instrument — a sort of “synthesizer tapestry” that responds to proximity, touch, stretch, sewing, knotting, and other fabric manipulations.

How does the texture of a fabric influence its sound? What new forms of musical expression emerge when synthesizer controls become soft and pliable? How can the act of weaving inform the design of signal flow in a modular synthesizer system?

xaxalxe (Lucía, b. 1994) is a multidisciplinary artist and researcher based in Brussels. She worked for four years as a researcher in computer science at UCLouvain before deciding to devote herself fully to her music and her artistic career. Her main practice is as a musician, under the name xaxalxe, creating sonic performances that weave generative melodic landscapes with short songs, using the GameBoy and artisan software accompanied by augmented voices.

Her practice draws just as much from the detail-oriented system-building methodology stemming from her background in computer science academic research as it does from the collective DIY ethos of the queer punk scene, in which she is involved as a community organizer. Lucía’s recent focus on e-textiles and soft electronics represents a natural evolution of her work, combining her technical skills with a deep appreciation for tactile, handcrafted objects.