Soundblock by Kenneth Cameron

Soundblock is an interactive sound installation designed to invite public participation in the urban soundscape. Soundblock will utilize the selective playback of high quality stereo sound samples recorded on site to produce a soundscape that is layered with both live and prerecorded audio. The Soundblock project will utilize MAXMSP software and Arduino hardware in combination with three IR distance sensors in order to allow for public selection and playback multiple field recordings derived from the surrounding landscape. Each selection can then be manipulated in pitch and frequency based on the audience distance from the Soundblock. By raising attention to ambient sound in the city, participants are encouraged to discern specific sound sources. By capturing individual fragments and allowing for their combined playback in situ, the Soundblock installation creates an opportunity for the remixing of soundscapes according to the desires of the participants. Foregrounding ambient sound and producing a space for pedestrian composition creates an opportunity for participants to change their soundscape rather than submit to it.