(Nip)ulations: The Nipulator Electronic Bra and the Embodiment of the Image Processing Tool

Abstract The Nipulator electronic bra is a custom-built, wearable device that uses hardware potentiometers (or knobs), a hacked DJ Hero microcontroller, and Cycling ’74 Max/MSP/Jitter software patches to (nip)ulate the author’s voice and/or image in real-time. The bra functions both as an instrument for live video and sound processing as well as feminist art object, and has been featured in several single-channel videos, and performances for an audience. This essay discusses how the author’s work with rare and historically significant image and sound processing tools like the Sandin Image Processor, Jones Frame Buffer, and Paik/Abe Raster Manipulation Unit (aka “Wobbulator”), influenced the creation of The Nipulator, as well as her experimental media art practice more generally. Other artistic, feminist, and personal influences are also considered, and a thorough description of the bra’s design, technical evolution, and challenges with regards to durability is provided.