An(echoic) Chamber

"(An)echoic Chamber" plays on the name of an anechoic chamber, a silent room used for audio research. The presentation and installation of this piece at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, NY (HTC Vive, 3-channel projection, 4-channel audio) is intended to explore VR as both a silent/isolating personal space and as a type of digital 'echo chamber' in which the mediated reality of the individual user is broadcast to an audience waiting in line as media spectacle. The work creates generative sound and movement via OSC protocol from Max/MSP, meaning that although the objects and sounds are fixed, their motion and spatial relationship move through infinite permutation, building on the metaphor of Calder Mobile as a compositional structure. Additional sound spatialization and virtual movement is facilitated via bidirectional OSC between Unity and Max, the HOA Ambisonics Toolkit, and the Oculus binaural plugin.