Back from UK. The TEI conference was amazing, so many smart and inspired people from nearly all over the world were gathering to present and discuss their news on tangible interfaces. Thanks to Nicolas Villar and his team for making it possible. If you want to know more about the conference and some beside impressions, just check the blog I wrote for Form+Zweck. Since today there is also a short review on the conference at the DE:BUG website online. Next to the attending the conference, I used to had some spare time in London, where I never was before. Thanks to Olivia, Stefan and Kai for hosting me through these days, guiding and taking me savely to the places I wanted to visit. Cheers guys!
While the conference one thought became more and more clear to me: We perceive our environment so much visually that we are nearly unable to concentrate on non-visual components of our environment. Design and architecture create more and more visual images than all-sensoric experiences. I was visiting the current exhibition at the design museum in London, which was mainly about the best of the best for 2009 at the second floor and an overall impressing exhibition of Hussein Chalayan at the first floor. At the best of the best I spotted this sticker attached to every displayed design item:
After coming from a conference, dealing mostly with the tangility of interaction devices, I was quite shocked not to be allowed to touch the design objects, which were made to be used…
So I decided to re-explore the senses, the feeling of places, the experience of surrounding space, by isolating single senses. I call it AUDIOSOMATIC RESEARCH. It´s about the gap between the visual perception of a well known cultural space and the linked phonetic impression. Our imagination of a place is overestimated by our visual image. For some first experiments I concentrated on our hearing and the related spacial cognition.
You know the London Bridge. You know how it looks like. But do you know what it sounds like?
I recommend to listen to it with stereo headphones and closed eyes.
I also recorded the Hussein Chalayan Exhibition. I tried to figure out how he displays his fashion in a phonetic and acustic way. Fashion is, despite that it should keeps us warm, a visually body shaping. But how puts one of the best fashion designers his work phoneticly in scene. How does he translate fashion into sound? Is there a cultural link hearable? Is it possible only to hear fashion? Here is a first try!
Again, I recommend to listen to it with stereo headphones and closed eyes.
