Project

superpose - A connected experience of sound and space

Jimmy Day / Karsten Schuhl

Groups

The superpose installation mediates continuously changing wave phenomena within a space that are visible, audible, and react to the presence of a person in the space. Connecting space and sound with one another to create a dynamic multi-sensory environment with the help of the visual elements of waves in water.

Sound, an invisible stimulus moving through space, presents the audience with a connecting thread between visible space and invisible physical vibrations. superpose explores the potential of interaction and experiential design to create holistic experiences that offer a new understanding of how sound operates as a physical phenomenon within space: Do audiences understand how sound waves propagate through space? Do they have to?

This project reframes the relationship between sound and space by focusing on the spatial qualities of sound to create the illusion of dynamically changing space without altering the physical properties of the built environment.

superpose enhances the understanding of the fluidity and plasticity of human spatial perception in relation to sound and the perception of sound bound to space. It conveys the impact sound has on spatial and temporal perception and furthers the understanding of the role human beings occupy in this particular niche of the “stimuli continuum.”

Above: A collection of timelapse videos (no sound) that document different steps in the creation of the superpose installation. Almost every part of the installation has been manufactured, assembled, and tested at the MIT Media Lab. From electronics to large-scale woodworking, all aspects of the installation were built in June and August of 2021.

Research Topics

#design #architecture #art #music