My stash of trash!
some deep pondering at 11.48am on a monday morning
After dissertation, what comes next?
I decided to take some time to work through what my next steps were for the graduation project, working towards Open Studios, which would be happening in Week 12. That was a whole month away, but I still had lots to do to polish up my three outcomes. After the dissertation ended, I took a few days to rest before starting the work engine again.
Understanding the context of Intimate Acoustics
What exactly is so intimate about it? Right now, the platform, found objects, and sensors are still at their most primary stage. There is still lots of work to be done regarding the sound, which I haven't been able to focus on since I spent time working on my dissertation. Currently, the sound is the main issue. I've been making very loud, janky sounds with the motors and objects, the complete opposite of what I wanted the experiment to do. After all, the goal is to create and emphasise the tiny sounds – the knocking, tapping, shifting. Right now, the selection of found objects I have needs to be altered or replaced to produce the sounds I actually want. I believe I will continue using the same vibration motors and DC motors, as their speed can be tweaked and adjusted accordingly.
Attempting to create rustling sounds with a leaf and twig
Understanding audience experience:
Moving on to the ultrasonic sensor, I realised I hadn't explored the different distances it could detect, or understood the various ways I could work with it. It all boils down to understanding the overall experience, and it made me think about the word "intimate" in this experiment. How intimate or close does one have to be to listen?
With this thought, it would be interesting to experience this experiment in a group context. Each individual could stand around different points of the platform, and each would trigger a specific "tiny sound" that would in turn contribute to an overall cacophony of mixed, tiny sounds. Since the found objects each have a unique sound to them, the combination of all could be amusing when triggered at different distances
and timings.
Starting again, with the humble DC motor
Playing with different objects, discovering different sounds
From earlier feedback, I understood that to achieve the tiny sounds I want from the found objects, I have to understand the materials I'm working with in a more intentional way.
Looking back, a lot of the objects I collected each have a unique sonic signature. That is, a distinctive sound that varies with the speed of the motor, how close the motor is positioned, and its angle. It all comes down to the motors and the actions each one can do.
More tapping and noise, but softer .... i think?
Solenoid: knock, knock, knock. Push.
DC motors: spinning 180 or 360 degrees.
It can be slow or fast, but I believe I will
continue running it at a slower speed so
that the sound produced isn't too abrupt.
Vibration motors: constant tapping motion, and when in contact with different materials, varying sound textures emerge.
To get the sounds I want, I needed to start experimenting. So I started with the twigs and leaves I collected, and tested out the noise they could make when a DC motor or vibration motor comes into contact with them.
For now, I'm still thinking about how to position Intimate Acoustics as a work piece. It stands from a more abstract point of view, I feel, where I want the audience to "discover" the sounds as they stand closer to the work. It's certainly not made with a productive goal in mind, but more towards the idea of wonder: rediscovering and noticing sounds, taking another look at the objects around us, seeing how they may be sound makers, and giving them and these tiny sounds more attention.