Sonicity by Stanza
Sonicity is a responsive installation, a sonification of the data space. The sounds you hear are the sound of the changing environment, ie the changes of noise, light, temperature of the space is turned into a real time sound stream using dozens of wireless sensors.
This project investigates the real time space and the experience of the gallery visitor as they interact with the space, using data gathered from new technologies. The system monitors the space (the building) and the environment (the city) and captures live real time data ( light , temperature, noise, humidity, position) to create an ambient sonification, an acoustic responsive environment, literally the sound of the micro incidents of change that occur over time.
The objective is to explore new ways of thinking about interaction within public space and how this affects the socialization of space. The project uses environmental monitoring technologies and security based technologies, to question audiences experiences of the event and space and gather data inside the space. The project also focuses on the micro-incidents of change, the vibrations and sounds of the gallery using wireless sensor based technologies.
Motes are used to collect the data. The 'motes' are tiny wireless sensor boards that gather data and communicate to the central server. The real world is monitored and the data stored in my archive retrieval system. Motes and sensor boards sense the micro incidents of change in the light, the noise, temperature, sounds of the flows inside the space.
Performance mode.
The motes can be set up in any space or gallery and a live performance can take place. The technology has been tested for a small audience at The Lanternhouse in Ulverston using 30 sensors inside and outside the space. nstallation and Exhibition mode.
The above image shows sketch for installation version of Sonicity by Stanza. This is essentially what is seen in the gallery. A city of wires and speakers across the floor or on the wall. Plays live data....ie, live data from wireless networks used to make sonification of real time spaces. The interactions of all this data are re-formed and re-contextualised in real time as a audio experience. Hundreds of small speakers are wired together and an installation is made across the available space that look like the illustration above. Technology.
I have already developed a 40 mote multi sensor network that will be scattered thought the the building. The nodes can be placed up to 10 -300 meters apart over the space. Once switched on they gather the data. I have made two versions of the interface software and custom built software for real time data over networks. Mote proxy is a java middle-ware environment for connecting up xbow motes to get access to the data outside moteview and directly off the motes. It is now in version two and sits on an online server. It allows access to the two networks of twenty motes in real time from which PHP and XML pages are served up. Mote proxy version two, and allows real time polling of data online from any sensors network that is connected and switched on, the data is then formatting in PHP and XML to enable anyone to make a visualization or interpretation of the data with it.
The changing data is what affects what you see and experience. Live XML feeds are ciming from the real time sensors.. The sensors monitor temperature, sounds, noise, light, vibration, humidity, and gps. The sensor network takes a constant stream of data which is published onto an online environment where each different interface makes representations of the XML.
Data as sound.
Using the XML live feeds the data can be turned in music. A custom made MAX/MSP motereader and sound synthesis engine in Max MSP has now been written. This allows one to hear the sounds of space, ie an aural experience of the surrounding space. Additional mixers in the software allows all the sensors to be mixed and cross mashed.
Performance mode as well as installation.
Basically this allows you to perform with space as you can use the software to mix the data streams