Aerial
Aerial was a web-based digital animation/sonic work, commissioned by iniva (International Institute of Visual Arts) in 2002 as part of their X-space programme. X-space was set up by Gary Stewart in 1996 via iniva as a virtual environment for generating and sharing experimental multimedia artwork.
Aerial utilised an arbitrary meteorological scale of reference. Visuals based on the ten cloud formation classifications were linked to sounds filtered in response to changing levels of atmospheric pressure. Most voice power is contained in lower frequency sounds, yet information content exists mainly in the higher frequencies. The compression and distortion of speech - an airborne communication method - is reflected by variations in the air itself. The viewer’s experience becomes subject (like the weather) to change.
Aerial utilised an arbitrary meteorological scale of reference. Visuals based on the ten cloud formation classifications were linked to sounds filtered in response to changing levels of atmospheric pressure. Most voice power is contained in lower frequency sounds, yet information content exists mainly in the higher frequencies. The compression and distortion of speech - an airborne communication method - is reflected by variations in the air itself. The viewer’s experience becomes subject (like the weather) to change.
The images above are stills from the commission. The X-space programme is no longer accessible, but traces exist on iniva's website. From November 2023, further details are also accessible via iniva's online archive, but not the work's themselves.
I have developed a recording of my commission using the Ruffle Flash Player emulator. This gives a sense of how the project worked, but doesn't cover all the possible sound/animation variations.
For deaf viewers: placing your hand on the computer speakers may give you some of the feel sound of this work - but only for some recordings. The higher pressure readings trigger higher frequency sounds, and lower ones the lowest, so depending on your hearing range and the speakers you are using, individuals will experience different mixes of sound, vibration and silence. A captioned version of the recording is in development, and meanwhile a soundtrack transcript is available below.
I have developed a recording of my commission using the Ruffle Flash Player emulator. This gives a sense of how the project worked, but doesn't cover all the possible sound/animation variations.
For deaf viewers: placing your hand on the computer speakers may give you some of the feel sound of this work - but only for some recordings. The higher pressure readings trigger higher frequency sounds, and lower ones the lowest, so depending on your hearing range and the speakers you are using, individuals will experience different mixes of sound, vibration and silence. A captioned version of the recording is in development, and meanwhile a soundtrack transcript is available below.
| aerial__sound_transcript.pdf |