Designer François Chambard has breathed new life into the theremin with a playful new collection on display in New York. Chambard, founder of the Brooklyn-based studio UM Project, created 12 theremins for an exhibition called Odd Harmonics, weaving smooth wooden boards with brightly colored dashboards, classic knob dials, and playful flourishes. (One appears to be wearing a white wig.)

The Moog-based synthesizers are the centerpiece of the exhibition, which also features work from artists Cassandra C. Jones and Tomory Dodge. Like the originals that Russian inventor Léon Theremin created in 1928, Chambard's recreations can be controlled by moving one's hand in and out of an electromagnetic field generated around their antennae, resulting in eerie and undulating sounds.