Love Hultén’s Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing Is a Sci-Fi Synth for Sonic Explorers

Experimental musical instruments have always occupied a fascinating space between functional tools and artistic statements, but few creators push this boundary as playfully as Love Hultén. His latest creation, the “Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing,” looks like it was salvaged from the wreckage of a retro spaceship, complete with a bright yellow chassis that wouldn’t look out of place in a 1970s sci-fi cartoon. The angular silhouette even hints at a cubist interpretation of familiar cartoon characters, adding an unexpected layer of whimsy to the design.

The matte yellow body immediately commands attention with its geometric, almost brutalist proportions and exposed hardware that celebrates rather than hides its construction. A matching yellow strap suggests this instrument was meant to be worn and performed with, while the flat, extended neck bristles with metallic touch points that function as an unconventional fretboard. The cylindrical handle protruding from the main body, adorned with metallic rings, looks like something you’d expect to find on a piece of alien technology rather than a musical instrument.

Designer: Love Hulten

What makes the Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing truly mesmerizing is the circular window set into the body, which houses a pool of ferrofluid that responds to the instrument’s audio output in real time. This magnetic liquid creates hypnotic, organic patterns that shift and dance with every note, turning the act of playing music into a visual performance as well. The ferrofluid display transforms the instrument from a simple sound generator into a living, breathing piece of kinetic art that captivates both performer and audience.

The control surface reads like a love letter to vintage synthesizers, with an array of rotary knobs, toggle switches, and colored buttons labeled for parameters like attack, sustain, glide, and filter type. The touch-sensitive neck allows for both polyphonic and monophonic play, while the metallic handle likely serves as a pitch bend or modulation controller, adding gestural expression to performances. Every surface invites tactile exploration, encouraging users to sculpt and morph sounds through physical interaction.

This isn’t a mass-produced instrument but rather a one-off functional sculpture that exists at the intersection of music, design, and performance art. Love Hultén has built a reputation for creating objects that spark curiosity and conversation, and the Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing continues this tradition by refusing to fit neatly into any single category. It’s simultaneously a synthesizer, a visual artwork, and a conversation piece that challenges our expectations of what musical instruments should look and feel like.

The Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing embodies the joy of imaginative design, where functionality serves creativity and visual spectacle enhances musical expression. Its sci-fi aesthetic, ferrofluid visualizer, and hands-on controls create an experience that feels genuinely otherworldly, reminding us that the most memorable musical instruments are often the ones that transport us to entirely new sonic and visual territories.

The post Love Hultén’s Extraterrestrial Guitar Thing Is a Sci-Fi Synth for Sonic Explorers first appeared on Yanko Design.

Scroll to Top