Sound Installation as Virtual Field Trip
This project, Experiential Differences in Virtual vs. Physical
Outdoor Sound Installations, was funded by Stanford's
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Accelerator for Learning
, as part of their initiative to create
tools that better support digital learners. A major facet of that work is the
development of virtual field trips, which aim to replicate the learner outcomes
from in-person field trips or class activities. In the case of sound installations,
that translates into listener outcomes: what thoughts
and feelings do people leave the work with? What is their overall impression
of the piece and its inextricable relationship to its site?
The resulting work, Inner Transmissions, exists in three
formats: physical, wed-based, and headset VR. One goal of the work
was to create a meditative place where visitors could take time to reflect,
prompted by the audio and visual artwork surrounding them. People are not used
to sitting quietly in digital space - we are always jumping from tab to tab,
scrolling from post to post. It was an interesting challenge to work with
both the physical space of the Papua New Guinea Sculpture Garden and its
digital representations. In the physical site, the obstacles to reflection
and tranquility were largely logistical: passing traffic and pedestrians,
adequate lighting, equipment malfunctions, etc. In the digital, the question
became how to coax listeners to slow down and experience in the space at the
pace they would in person.
For the web-based installation, the best solution was to use 360° video for the sculptures where people would ideally sit and listen for extended periods of time, and to use 360° photos paired with audio recordings for the intermediate locations on the map (where listeners in person would most likely just be passing through). For the VR headset format, the solution used was to "reward" listener stillness, by fading out static and fading most of the graphics to black the longer they stay without moving at a music-making sculpture. Though it is only 30 seconds, people reported feeling that it was much longer, truly forcing them to slow down and sit in the space.
Project Motivation
At a time when access to physical spaces has become restricted,
the need for virtual and hybrid physical-virtual experiences has increased
drastically. Exposure to a wide range of works is essential to music education,
but digital learners have been largely cut off from seeing live or interactive
performances. Though musical experiences of all types have been affected,
more traditional concerts have quickly adapted to streamed equivalents, while
site-specific works have yet to find their virtual analogue. This project
examines if virtual “outdoor” sound installations can yield comparable
experiential outcomes for creators and listeners alike.
An essential facet of working as an installation artist is
documenting your work, capturing the on-site experience as best as possible.
Usually this means some combination of photographs and videos, of the
installation in progress, the site during the creation process, and the
equipment/materials used. In addition to increasing student listeners' access
to this medium, virtual sound installation formats could offer creators a new
and perhaps improved way to document their work. Though a secondary
application of this project, this aspect of installation work is sorely in need
of recent innovation.
The VR installation may also be viewed on
Mac
or Windows
as a desktop application