We keep exploring interdisciplinary areas where art, design and science meet and merge, and sound is one of them. These days sound is emerging as one of the most important instruments of discovering the world – either through mass experiments or through individual insight. Here are just a few examples of marvelous and innovative sound installations:
Acoustic Wind Pavillion Aeolus by Luke Jerram
Interactive light and sound installation that responds in real-time to Sonos components by SoftLab
Time and Tide Bell installation consists of 12 bells rung by the sea at high tide .
‘Which is your brass voice?‘ by Aether Hemera was a multi-sensory experience, helping people to discover their “brass voice” by speaking, singing, shouting or whispering into microphones.
BE OPEN has also had its share in the creative study of sound. In 2012, in collaboration with the University of the Arts London, BE OPEN held the Sounding Space Symposium. The event became a celebration of sound-centered experiments conducted by the students with the help of the BE OPEN Sound Portal reconstructed at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, and included the talks programme with sound artist Bill Fontana and Dr John Drever.
The Be Open Sound Portal is a travelling pavilion designed by Arup. It was initially installed in Trafalgar Square and was meant to give its visitors a chance to experience design through sound, rather than image. It used an ambisonic (multichannel audio-mixing technology) loudspeaker rig. The technology was used in Arup Soundlab by the artists and musicians who developed their sound pieces for the pavilion.
The sound was recorded and played through nine individual channels to produce cross spatial sound effects.
“Our intention with the Be Open Sound Portal was to provide a design that is all about sound and how spatial sound stimulates the imagination. The Sound Portal project has given us a fantastic opportunity to harness a captive audience in an iconic location. The environment is one of the busiest and most aurally chaotic environments around, so it should be an unusual experience.”— Stephen Philips, Senior designer behind the Sound Portal