Sergi Jordà facts for kids

Sergi Jordà (born November 15, 1961) is a smart inventor, artist, and music professor from Catalonia, Spain. He teaches at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Sergi Jordà is most famous for leading the team that created the Reactable, a cool electronic music instrument. He also studied to become a Physicist.

Sergi Jordà's Early Life and Work

Sergi Jordà was born in Madrid. His dad, Joaquim Jordà, was a famous film director from Catalonia.

Sergi Jordà finished his physics degree at the Universitat de Barcelona in 1987. At the same time, he also studied music. He was one of the first people in Spain to use computers to make live music. In the 1990s, he studied Artificial Intelligence. He worked with famous Catalan artists like Marcel·lí Antúnez Roca and La Fura dels Baus. Together, they made exciting interactive art projects. These included Joan the Meat Man and Epizoo in 1996. He also helped create Afasia (2002), which was a multimedia show, and FMOL (1999–2002), which let people make music together online.

Creating the Reactable

In 1999, Sergi Jordà joined Xavier Serra at the Music Technology Group in Barcelona. Sergi Jordà's special study, called Digital Lutherie (2005), helped create new types of musical computers. These computers were great for performing and making up music on the spot. They used visual feedback and special ways to arrange sounds.

Between 2003 and 2006, Sergi Jordà worked with Günter Geiger, Martin Kaltenbrunner, and Marcos Alonso. They invented the Reactable. This electronic music instrument lets you make music by moving objects on a glowing table. It works a bit like old-school modular synthesizers that Bob Moog made in the 1960s.

The Reactable Becomes Famous

The Reactable became very popular when the singer Björk used it on her 2007 Volta music tour. Since then, many musicians have used it in their shows. You can also find the Reactable in science and art museums all over the world! Some places where it's on display include the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago and the Montréal Science Centre.

In October 2010, a mobile version called Reactable mobile was released for iPhones and iPads. In just two weeks, it became the most downloaded music app in 20 different countries!

Awards and Recognition

Sergi Jordà and the Reactable have won many awards for their amazing work. Here are some of them:

• Bourges, 1998
• Ciutat de Barcelona, 1999 and 2008
• SGAE 2000
• Möbius International, Beijing 2001
• Arco Electrónico, 1999 and 2001
• Europrix, 2002
• Hot Instrument of the Year, Rolling Stone Magazine, 2007 (for Reactable)
• MIDEM Hottest Music Biz Start-Up Award, 2008 (for Reactable Systems)
• Yellow Pencil, Product Design/Public Space, D&AD Design Awards, London, 2008 (for Reactable)
• Yellow pencil, Digital Installations, D&AD Design Awards, London, 2008 (for Reactable)
• Golden Nica, Prix Ars Electronica, 2008 (for Reactable)
• Innova, Barcelona, 2008 (for Reactable Systems)

See also

In Spanish: Sergi Jordà para niños