SOUND INSTALLATION

Introduction:

Given you sets of pictures, spaces and sound tracks. Now, go experience your body senses in seeing, moving and listening to find out what is the installation about.

*Note: Wong Kar-wai is a Hong Kong filmmaker who can convey the suffering and yearning of love in an endless way by focusing on the smallest details, short dialogues, organic space atmosphere sounds and unique background music.

Final Presentation:

*same installation for all three floors.

1-4f

2-5f

3-6f

Intention Behind the Site Intervention:

Things that seem to be right to you sometimes could be wrong. Like in Wong’s movies, every character regretted the things that they had done to others at the end. I chose love as one type of relationships to present because love is the most recognizable things to resonate among people. Although there is a word called “timeless,” we can never return to the time that we have missed. When time passes, people will miss many opportunities such as not working hard And that is more than romance of love than Wong’s movies. Therefore, giving you a sense of confusion about what exactly time you were at, the sound guide, unique and emotional cinematic movie music, and walking upstairs have made you fully experiencing the time, space and the people around you. All of those body movements were mixing with your mind thinking to tell you: anything can happen differently when time, space and people intervene, you should live in the moment.

INTENTION BEHIND tHE Installation DETAILS:

1.Walking upstairs: create a psychology of uncertainty

2.Old Pictures: enhance the experience of time and space

3. Poster: enhance the experience of movies

4. Individual Listening Experience: everyone inform things differently due to their past experience and education levels, listening on their own can create a personal and intimate world to them

Project Research and Process:

I have done multiple researches on different areas. I was aiming to deeply affect my audience to believe what I was telling them to think and do during the final presentation. The following were my evolution of ideas, research topics and process of visuals making.

The evolution of my ideas:

I first started my idea in sounds of public locations where they have a lot of human interactions. I proposed three potential locations: two UC lobby staircases and the cafeteria automatic spinning dishes machines. I liked the idea of creating a site sound for a public space by recording the original sound of it and simply replay to the audience, letting them to be more aware of sound that they listen in daily life.

However, I changed my idea to create something that could include my own interests in movies because I wanted to make my project theme more sophisticated in relationship between human psychology and sound. Then I did my site project proposal about playing Wong Kar-wai’s original sound tracks from his movies in a staircase when people look at pictures from the movies, those selected pictures are all staircase scenes. I wanted to create a movie experience by using imagery and sound to make people feel real. Also, I personally value the importance of staircase use in his movies so I chose that topic. (see the 1st slide show below)

After talking to my professor, he said that my topic was a little bit too obvious if I just play the music out loud and put the pictures on the wall. What could possibly happen if there was a guide to the audience to listen and walk around? I then started various researches such as sound walk, sound perception of human mind, and human auditory system, etc. (see the 2rd slideshow below)

At the end, I finalized my idea to create a system for my audience that involves listening, walking and seeing. And my theme of the site sound project is like what I has mentioned at the beginning of this post. What’s more, I could still use my interest in movies.

Process of making:

Reflection:

I am so happy that I got some positive feedbacks from my audience! For example, some people felt they did think about meanings of life while they were experiencing the site sound installation. One thing that I didn’t expect was the capacity of the staircases. Some people couldn’t start to listen until others were finished because they had to listen and look at the pictures at the same time. However, I think the waiting time actually was not a bad thing because it could be seen as part of the experience of time. Also, I could see most of people were not feel too comfortable to be so close to each other in order to start, they would rather wait for them to finish which I found very interesting. And for the rest of them who were a little closed to others commented that physical touch to others was delicately sparkling something in their minds.

Above all, I think I had a great semester and learned so much about sound. The whole process of doing the final project had taught me how to create a system of design thinking step by step in general. I really enjoyed it and this is very different than what I have been learning from my core business classes. Making things is a pleasure!

Links for all the sources of the whole project:

http://www.cardiffmiller.com/artworks/walks/longhair.html#

http://sfsound.org/tape/ruttmann.html

http://www.streetartbio.com/jr

http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/genpsyperception.html

https://www.hearinglink.org/your-hearing/how-the-ear-works/

http://www.cochlea.eu/en/auditory-brain

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auditory_system

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/brainwashing.htm

https://reelclub.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/stepping-on-symbols-staircases-and-symbolism-in-the-virgin-suicides/

http://www.wongkarwaimusic.com/

http://screenmusings.org/movie-director/