Special Issue: Proceedings of Si15

Welcome to this Special Issue of Array: Proceedings of Si15, the 2nd International Symposium on Sound and Interactivity. The articles in the present issue originated in the Si15 Soundislands Festival, which was held in Singapore 18–23 August 2015. The festival events included five invited artist performances, two scientific keynotes and two days of proceedings, a commissioned sound installation, an afternoon of public talks, an internet panel, two pedagogic workshops, a concert with young performers, and more than fifty artworks and scientific papers in numerous forms and formats selected from an open call (http://soundislands.com/si15). We are thrilled to present 20 articles, by 31 authors, emanating from Si15. The articles have been extended and thoroughly revised for this special issue of Array. They cover a range of topics related to aesthetics, percep-tion, technology, and sound art. We hope that you will enjoy the fruits of the authors' labour and therein discover many a stimulating thought.

2011

This dissertation is about sound in context. Since sensory processing is inherently multimodal, research in sound is necessarily multidisciplinary. The present work has been guided by principles of systematicity, ecological validity, complementarity of methods, and integration of science and art. The main tools to investigate the mediating relationship of people and environment through sound have been empiricism and psychophysics. Four papers focus on perception. In paper A, urban soundscapes were reproduced in a 3D installation. Analysis of results from an experiment revealed correlations between acoustic features and physiological indicators of stress and relaxation. Paper B evaluated soundscapes of different type. Perceived quality was predicted not only by psychoacoustic descriptors but also personality traits. Sound reproduction quality was manipulated in paper D, causing two effects on source localisation which were explained by spatial and semantic crossmodal correspondences. Crossmodal correspondence was central in paper C, a study of colour association with music. A response interface employing CIE Lab colour space, a novelty in music emotion research, was developed. A mixed method approach supported an emotion mediation hypothesis, evidenced in regression models and participant interviews. Three papers focus on design. Field surveys and acoustic measurements were carried out in restaurants. Paper E charted relations between acoustic, physical, and perceptual features, focussing on designable elements and materials. This investigation was pursued in Paper F where a taxonomy of sound sources was developed. Analysis of questionnaire data revealed perceptual and crossmodal effects. Lastly, paper G discussed how crossmodal correspondences facilitated creation of meaning in music by infusing ecologically founded sonification parameters with visual and spatial metaphors. The seven papers constitute an investigation into how sound affects us, and what sound means to us.

2015

This paper explores the relationships between sound and its visualisation, focusing upon the issues of representation and interpretation of music through both performative and machine processes. The discussion proceeds in the context of recent works by the author exploring the representation of sound and musical notation and their relationship to and with performance:􏰀 􏰜􏰚􏰐􏰜􏰚􏰐􏰖􏰀 􏰘􏰐􏰌􏰝􏰝􏰎􏰓􏰀 􏰰􏰎􏰕􏰎􏰌􏰘􏰙􏰀 􏰘􏰙􏰎􏰀 􏰰􏰌􏰐􏰭􏰀 [2014], 􏰔􏰕􏰀 􏰕􏰑􏰜􏰔􏰕􏰎􏰀 􏰘􏰎􏰕􏰎􏰰􏰐􏰔􏰖 [2014], 􏰓􏰎􏰘􏰐􏰔􏰘􏰚􏰖 [2015], 􏰘􏰐􏰌􏰖􏰙􏰀 􏰪􏰑􏰐􏰘􏰎􏰥 [2015], 􏰌􏰒􏰔􏰓􏰀􏰗􏰚􏰐􏰨 [2015], 􏰙􏰎􏰐􏰎􏰵􏰀􏰌􏰝􏰝􏰌􏰐􏰎􏰕􏰘􏰛􏰨􏰵􏰀􏰘􏰙􏰎􏰐􏰎􏰀􏰱􏰌􏰖􏰀􏰘􏰔􏰜􏰎􏰀􏰗􏰑􏰐􏰀 􏰎􏰪􏰎􏰐􏰨􏰘􏰙􏰔􏰕􏰍 [2015], 􏰰􏰎􏰘􏰱􏰎􏰎􏰕􏰢􏰖􏰘􏰌􏰘􏰎􏰖 [2015], 􏰘􏰙􏰎􏰀􏰜􏰔􏰐􏰌􏰒􏰛􏰎􏰀􏰑􏰗􏰀 􏰘􏰙􏰎􏰀 􏰐􏰑􏰖􏰎􏰀 [2015], 􏰐􏰎􏰖􏰔􏰓􏰚􏰌􏰛􏰀 􏰓􏰐􏰔􏰗􏰘 [2015], 􏰫􏰫􏰫􏰱􏰔􏰘􏰙􏰀 􏰘􏰙􏰎􏰀 􏰗􏰔􏰖􏰙􏰎􏰖􏰫􏰫􏰫 [2015] and 􏰔􏰕􏰙􏰌􏰰􏰔􏰘􏰎􏰓􏰀 􏰜􏰌􏰘􏰘􏰎􏰐􏰀 [2015]􏰫􏰀 Issues examined include: resonification of spectrograms, visualisation of spectral analysis data, control of spatialisation and audio processing using spectral analysis data, and reading issues related to scrolling screen score notation.

2018

This research project has explored the relationship between sound and sculpture, looking particularly at how sound can become sculptural. A sound sculpture is defined in this project as a sound-only entity, which explicitly extends sound’s physical and spatial aspects to take on the role of a physical, visual sculpture. In this research, this is achieved by the use of otoacoustic emissions. There is a lack of music and sound art material that actively intends to utilise the creative potential of otoacoustic emissions. This portfolio of works explores the bodily sensation of otoacoustic emissions and importantly, the agency the audience/listener has on changing their own perception and experience of the sound through their movement choices around an installation space. This novel application of otoacoustic emissions is what the author terms ‘otokinetic shaping’. This goes beyond that of the visual sculptural paradigm by introducing an element of audience participation and control. Th...

The article describes artistic research, realisation and presentation of the interactive tactile sound sculpture installation “babble and touch”, Ricardo Huisman, for the Babelut festival, Musica BE in Belgium. This is an international music theatre festival for children 0 - 4 year and their (grant)parents. The “babble and touch” installation is meant to create more awareness of the multi sensorial surrounding sounds and to trigger playful interaction and babble between babies, toddlers and their (grant)parents. I've produced four tactile sound sculptures: a softly swinging woollen baby boat, a mobile woollen toddler boat (on little wheels), two little woollen quays and composed an emerging surrounding 6 channel soundscape with composed touch-soundscapes of “boat”, “train” and “car”. I conducted artistic research on the important periods (0 - 4 year) for child language acquisition; which can’t be separated from the physical -, perceptual-, motor- and social development using the whole body, brain, sense, lungs, mouth and voice to learn to communicate, to hear, to listen, to move, to build, to play, alone or together interacting with the parents. For language acquisition, playful sounding interaction with parents is crucial. Also presenting the tactile sound sculptures: “super sonic sound scape shoes” and “woollen sea sound sculpture”. Artist statement: “we can be more aware of our being sound performers in our own sound habitat”

CHI'08 extended …, 2008

2015