ICC

Open Space 2012

"moids 2.2.1 – acoustic emergence structure"
2009/12
MIHARA Soichiro + SAITA Kazuki

Date: October 23, 2012 - March 3, 2013


photo: KIOKU Keizo

Devices composed of multiple microphones, microchips and relays* are installed in various locations on the walls, ceiling, and under the floor of the anechoic room. As soon as the microphones detect a sound that exceeds a certain volume level, this triggers a switch of the respective device's relay, which again makes a tiny noise. Every device that reacts this way to a detected sound makes a sound by itself, and thus causes a chain reaction involving the other devices. The intensity of this chain reaction increases and decreases, sometimes reaching a state of saturation, while at certain intervals the system is reset to restore the original state of silence.

This work is the result of an attempt to create an alternative natural environment by way of technology. According to the simple rule that sounds emitted by devices in reaction to their sonic environment trigger reactions of other devices, the work as an accumulation of individual devices undergoes various textural transformations. This is where an organic acoustic environment comparable to reactions of insects and other animals in a forest comes into being, which reveals itself in totally different shapes each time. The setting of an anechoic room, an environment with virtually no sound reverberation, makes it easier to discern the direction from which a sound is audible, causing a sensation of being surrounded by sounds coming from all directions.

*Relay: Device for switching electrical circuits according to electrical signal input.

Cooperation: MUGIBAYASHI Hiroko, HIRABAYASHI Shin

MIHARA Soichiro Profile

Born 1980. Operating around sound technology as a central axis, he has been exhibiting systems as artworks exploring organic syntheses of perception, environments, and the human body. Has collaborated on various projects with the likes of musician OTOMO Yoshihide, visual artist MOHRI Yuko, and other artists from Japan and abroad also beyond the field of media art. Is presently co-developing prototyping tools for research and artistic expression in the realm of tactile sensation.
Past Exhibition / Event

SAITA Kazuki Profile

Born 1981. Creator of electronic musical instruments; programmer. Graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, Tohoku University, and from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS). Has been involved in the creation of "moids" together with MIHARA Soichiro since his student days, and is part of the electronic instrument production/performance groups "The Breadboard Band" and "Sharin."
Past Exhibition / Event

Artists' Talk MIHARA Soichiro + SAITA Kazuki
Date: Sunday, January 13, 2013, 2:00 pm– [Finished]
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Interview with exhibiting artists is available in Podcast "Channel ICC." | >Details |