Sonic Presence

This was a temporary installation-prototype interconnecting physical mapping with physical presence through interaction and sound. The prototype map was located in an outdoor space overlooking the western part of Pasadena, California (within the campus of Art Center College of Design). The floor of the exhibit space contained an oversize facsimile of a street map including the location of the installation. There were 6 footstep markings on the floor, which indicated sound hotspots. All users were given copies of the actual street map with indications of the landmarks corresponding to the sound hotspots. As one entered the space there were accumulative soundscape of all of the hotspots broadcasted simultaneously. The initial sounds were ambient ones, specific to each of the represented landmarks. If one covered the existing hotspot on the floor, that prompted the ambient sound to be replaced by human related one. No single person could activate all hotspots so a multi-user collaboration was required to experience the complete effect of the soundmap. All landmarks depicted by the map were observable from the location of the installation, thus interconnecting various scales, sounds and human presence.

Role(s)

  • Visual Designer
  • Interaction Designer
  • Producer
  • Researcher