This Mini Paper Balloon Powered Pipe Organ Will Blow You Away

Think of a pipe organ and your mind would naturally conjure up images of a large machine in a church setting that produces sound by driving pressurized air through organ pipes and is controlled by a keyboard. Aliaksei Zholner, however, has reimagined the pipe organ concept in a new, more portable, design. And this one is made out of paper!

This working paper organ features 18 functional keys that "create tones with the aid of corresponding reeds, and of course a pipe organ can’t function without a steady air flow, a problem Zholner solves with a large balloon". A balloon? Yes, that's exactly what we're saying. And the video above shows the components of the Paper Organ and then gives a demonstration of how it sounds followed by the balloon being released.

Using paper to create musical instruments or controllers isn't a new concept. Here's how you can make your own MIDI controller using an Arduino, paper and conductive ink. Last year McDonalds turned paper placemats into music production workstations. And Novalia showed how to turn any surface, including paper, into a touch MIDI controller.

[Via: Colossal]