Void is a sonic, haptic and augmented sculpture exposing its participant to different auditory spatial experiences as he/she moves around and touches the sculpture in the form of a hanging topography. The purpose of this interactive experience is to create an invisible spatial sonic architecture that is defined by the quality of the participant’s touch and the geolocation of the participant’s body in space during different times of the day.
This is an individual experience for each participant through a headphone. As each participant enter the designated space can put on the headphone, he/she would hear an ambiance sound. As they start to move in space some audio parameters of what they hear would change based on his/ her head movement. Finally, when they get close to the inverted topography they can touch and speak to the sculpture. The sound of participant’s touch would become part of the background sound. Their whispers become part of the sonic memory of the experience.
The approach of this experimental and performative project emphasizes sensory and spatial perception of viewer’s interaction within the space. As the viewer touches different parts of the fabricated topography, the amplified sound of his/her touch will be combined with another sound that is mapped over the fabricated topography. If the participant is not near the topography to touch, then the audio source will rotate around the participant during the length of the experience. After all, the viewer would hear the sound of a composed soundscape.
After several material iterations 4-inch purple insulation foam was used. The choice of the material gave the opportunity of being able to collect sound more properly. Because of the physics of the foam, the sound would resonate and travel inside the material. This selection helped a lot in not using so many microphones input sources.
A 3D fabricated model in a form of topographical landscape was generated through several processes in 3D software (Rhino and Grasshopper- partial 3D scan Hopewell Rocks , NB, Canada) in order to give the resemblance of a geological landscape and sense of enclosure. The formal complexity of the form creates a diverse textural geometry to produce range of sounds as the participant touches the surface.
There is a metaphoric relationship between the form of the object and the geological landscapes. Meaning through different timescale the climate and geographical conditions left physical marks and traces on the body of rocks and minerals. In a way this project offers a new sensational experience through touching geological landscapes as if a participant’s touch enables him/her to feel and fathom an invisible reality.