In North Carolina, designer Gabriel Mejia-Estrella has created a working synthesizer made from cardboard and walnut.
A recent graduate in Music Technology from University of North Carolina Asheville, Mejia-Estrella was inspired to create the unique synth because unlike elegant and often aesthetically pleasing instruments like guitars or pianos, traditional synths are largely unattractive, more akin to mass-produced appliances than something that makes music.
Mejia-Estrella’s design features 34 keys with a fiberglass-reinforced cardboard body, steam-bent walnut frame, and individual keys handmade from oak and walnut.
“What makes this synth significant is how it challenges the assumption that electronic instruments have to be cold and industrial,” according to a write-up in Yanko Design. “By using wood, fiberglass, and visible handwork, it reintroduces warmth and personality into something usually purely functional. It’s less a finished product and more proof that synthesizers can be beautiful, tactile objects worth admiring even when silent.”