Mockingbird (Final Project)
This project features an infrared distance sensor mounted underneath a shelf that supports a speaker. The speaker quietly plays a recording of a mockingbird. As you move closer to the speaker, the infrared sensor measures your distance from the shelf. This data is sent to processing, mapped, and to control the volume of two looping audio files. The result is the sound of an iPhone ringtone slowly (or quickly, depending on the viewer's speed) fading in and obscuring the quiet birdsong.
The code is very simple. It just uses the sensor output to control the volume (or "gain" as it is called in the code) of two separate audio players within processing, utilizing the minim audio library. The sensor output is mapped twice: one variable follows the sensor output and one reverses the same output. These mapped variables directly control the gain of the audio files.
This project works fairly well I think. It's kind of just a one-liner but I think the ideas that are working in it can be adapted and expanded to make a more lasting impression on the viewer. Technically, the interaction is fairly smooth. The main problems are 1) the occasional random jump in sensor output that triggers the ringtone sound without any interaction (which I actually enjoy) and 2) the project only works in one direction, straight on. Moving forward, I'm interested in using multiple sensors or possibly a more expansive sensing element (such as a kinect) in order to create a more immersive interaction with the speaker and sound. Also, the sensor kind of got messed up when I was trying to mount it to the shelf, so I ended up having to zip-tie it to a piece of plastic nailed into the shelf (but I very much like this messy way of doing it-- over a cleaner, seem-less version). I also like the wire being featured along the wall in the installation photos. I have no interest in fancy and hidden tech implementations.
I would also like to explore how the sound attracts the viewer. Right now, the birdsong plays very quietly (an attempt to draw the listener in). As the viewer moves closer they are meant to be caught off guard by reveal of the significantly louder ringtone. I'm interested in other "bait and switch"-like interactions, but I'm more interested in finding more nuanced uses for the same interaction. What does it mean to have to get close to the speaker? How can you encourage that interaction?