Pole Dance - Interactive multimedia sound installation

SO-IL, Arup, and 2x4 collaborated to design and integrate an interactive media environment as part of Pole Dance. Eight of the fiberglass poles incorporate accelerometers – devices that measure the motion of the poles - and convert it to sound played back in the courtyard using MaxMSP. In the installation’s passive state, sound is generated by wind moving the poles or netting. As the audience interacts with elements of the structure – by pushing, pulling or shaking the poles or moving the beach balls or the net, modulated tones are generated. The tones have been specifically composed to blend with the sonic environment and to bring harmony to the soundscape in and around the museum. The installation is truly interactive with up to 8 participants able to simultaneously “play” the poles. In this way the installation becomes a multi-user instrument that can be shared by ensembles of visitors of all ages. Rapid and shallow movements create locally oscillating tones; movements made by leaning on the poles create a sound that ripples out into the rest of the garden as the network of connected poles are set in motion.

An interactive iPhone app allows visitors to affect the quality of sound for each pole in real time. By turning the effects levels up or down the audience can collaboratively vote to change the active sound of their environment. The application also collects the movements of the interactive poles sent out to the network by Max and visualizes the dynamic activity and movement within the installation in real time.