This project exposes the dynamics of space as modulated by kinetic objects and sound. Architectural design characteristically articulates modes of circulation which ultimately define built form. This project is an intervention which uses both kinetics and acoustics to disrupt the function of architectural archetypes such as corridors, doorways, halls and foyers. Acoustic cues that normally give us indications of room size and materials are transfered. The piece acts as a kind of contra-architecture, provoking the questioning of social interaction in the built environment.
This installation inhabits two sites on different locations. Each site is treated kinetically and acoustically with view to expose the notion of contra-architecture. The two sites are networked and share sonic elements which become displaced and disorienting as they are projected from one site to another.
Each space is setup with familiar kinetic objects (domestic fans) which either obstruct or render circulation difficult. These respond to movement of visitors by adjusting their speeds according to patterns of proximity. Each fan acts as a sound object designed to expose the natural acoustics of the site. A loudspeaker attached to the back of each fan, produces tones in the resonance frequencies of the site, which themselves are modulated by the speed of the fans.
Role of fans and domestic objects as affording particular/specific locations in architectural space.
Whereas most wearable computing research has gone in the direction of extending or merging a conventional piece of clothing with a conventional piece of technology in the name of convenience, this paper proposes to investigate ways in which the material nature of textile can be used as an interface in itself.
We address the relationship between a music performer and her instrument as a possible model for re-thinking wearable technologies. The musical instrument acts not so much as a device to be controlled by the performer, but rather as an environment of resistance and contingency. Each instrument is culturally and technologically specific, and hence suggests its own types of interaction and engagement.
In particular, instruments, in the same way as textiles do, invite participation, and by engaging with them we intuitively develop a sense of their malleability, resistance and fragility. We touch fabrics in order to know more about the material and in this way identify characteristics such as smoothness, roughness, warmth, fragility, toughness etc... In the action of touching we not only sense but more importantly adjust; we adjust the nature of our touch according to a particular material's properties.
We propose to look towards musical traditions that suggest attitudes of specificity rather than adaptability. Those traditions show that the design of generalised "multi-use" devices, such as the all-in-one electronic organ, is rooted in utilitarian thinking. We argue that this tendency ignores the complexities of musical cultures and hence fails to provide technologies which provoke creative action rather than the promise control and efficiency.
In this light, notions of multi-use and adaptability
In Sonic Constructs, as a fragile construction navigates through “clear” space it is interrupted by unavoidable collision, by the threshold that defines that same space. The collision (something that in robotics would be regarded as a failure to detect and avoid obstacles) causes the construction to collapse, creating an environment of fragments, debris… This environment becomes the space for kinetic and acoustic participation. A resonant metal plate acts as a surface on which the constructs operate. This works as a sound stage as well as a platform for interaction. Mechanical action is carried through by robotic devices and it is the by-product of such action that provides sonic material. As Lego pieces collide, move and scratch, a complex sonic world is orchestrated. These, sometimes microscopic sonic events become prominent and are further manipulated with real-time electronic processes.
The Sonic Constructs installation explores the notion of breakdown as elaborated by philosopher Martin Heidegger. Heidegger refers to the breakdown as the moment in which things come into being. It is only when there is a disruption in a process that we otherwise take as self-absorbing, that a technology or a tool is brought into being; it is at this moment that their characteristics and qualities become identifiable. Heidegger develops this theme by referring to the metaphor of a carpenter’s workshop and provides an understanding for the relationship between the carpenter and his tools. Arguably, another process that identifies physical characteristics in an artefact is misuse. In the computer world, hacking often brings our attention to the fragility of security systems. Hacking exposes the parts of a technological or cultural construct that are open for alternative uses (“misuse”).
The sound bar!
A vending machine for sonic satisfaction!
A machine that - like the milk bar or the oxygen bar, just devoid of milk or aroma-enhanced oxygen -dispenses a shot of individuated sound!
To satisfy your craving! Like getting a chocolate bar from a chocolate vending machine.
The sound bar - for just £1 - offers the most beautiful and unique sound to satisfy your sonic craving!
A unique sound as it unfolds with the presence of your own body only.
A sound that solely you will be able to hear.
The sound bar!
No shared sonic experience!
The performance space for a shared music community has long been dead!
A sound just for you!
The sound bar!
A sound you plug out of the machine.
A sound that you insert it into your body (a sound suppository!)
The sound stays in your system for a while, but once excreted won't be able to be reproduced.
