Cubing the Sphere | Mixed Reality Installation
The plan involved placing virtual 3D sculptures in designated areas around Hamburg, allowing the public to "remix" these sound installations using proximity and gestures to trigger audio samples. Locations such as parks and public spaces like Lighthouse Zero or the Bismarck Monument would serve as venues for AR sculptures, providing safe spaces for audiences to interact and move through the pieces, preferably with headphones to trigger and remix the soundscapes.
A dance-based performance would showcase the work to both the festival and wider international community via livestream, making the audience vital participants in the artwork through their movements creating unique audio-visual experiences.
The AR experience remains accessible to anyone with a smartphone, allowing the work to be broadcast to crowds through simple Bluetooth speakers, extending beyond traditional performance limitations.
Can the audience become a vital part of the artwork: their movements creating their own unique audio-visual experience?
Sound Design: Dave Stitch
Creative Direction: Andy Harper
VR Development: Dave Stitch / Andy Harper
Lighting and Installation: Karl Wustrau (ST FX)
Festival: VRHAMI Festival, Hamburg, Germany
Platform: Hubs (VR), iOS (AR)
Creative Direction: Andy Harper
VR Development: Dave Stitch / Andy Harper
Lighting and Installation: Karl Wustrau (ST FX)
Festival: VRHAMI Festival, Hamburg, Germany
Platform: Hubs (VR), iOS (AR)
Ziggurat Vital (Low Frequencies)
Ziggurat Dex7 (Mid Frequencies)
Ziggurat 8plinx (Hi Frequencies)
The Zigguart - Augmented Reality Component
Three virtual 3D sculptures triggered by moving iOS devices towards the objects. Pulsing animations indicate when audio is toggled on/off. With spatial audio, the installation can be experienced properly in 3D, with audio panning and volume adjusting dynamically based on location relative to the sculpture.
AR Access: tinyurl.com/hemwe68x
Cubing the Sphere - Augmented Reality
Vital Sphere - Augmented Reality
Dex7 and 8Plinx Sphere - Augmented Reality
Occlusion / Augmented reality
The Zigguart Virtual Reality Experience
A simple VR environment built in Hubs utilising spatial audio. Users' relative position to three speakers dynamically adjusts volume, with any movement within the 3D space altering the composition to output unique sounds in real-time.
VR Access: hub.link/fnK5Xgx (VR room code 647399)
Click the above image to experience this in VR
Location of all 8 speakers for full 8d sound in VR
Squaring the circle is a the challenge of constructing a square with the same area as a given circle by using only a finite number of steps. Cubing the sphere is the 3d equivalent
An immersive virtual installation exploring 8-directional spatial audio and visualised frequencies. The project engineers music using the 8 corners of a cubic space as sound sources, with frequencies visualised and wrapped into 3D mesh animations.
The installation creates environments that help audiences appreciate sound in provocative new ways. The immersive nature of VR makes focus effortless and accentuates the meditative qualities of audio unified with visuals.
Click the above image to experience this in VR
Cubing the Sphere - Future Development
Unfortunately, lockdown restrictions in Germany prevented progression of the project into physical installations. Originally planned for Hamburg, the concept involved distributing 8D sound installations throughout the city using AR technology.
By removing the camera function in AR & wearing headphones, the focus shifts to exploring and discovering hidden sounds in a physical space. There is scope for performing artists to compose a track through movement alone.
This is not just limited to performing artists, the AR experience is accessible and available to anyone that can hold a phone in one hand. The experience is not just immersive for the user, it could be broadcast to a crowd with a simple bluetooth speaker.
This is not just limited to performing artists, the AR experience is accessible and available to anyone that can hold a phone in one hand. The experience is not just immersive for the user, it could be broadcast to a crowd with a simple bluetooth speaker.
Participation through movement creates personalised audio-visual experiences within the artwork
