Visceral mobile music systems

Atau Tanaka

pp. 155-170

in: Randy Adams, Steve Gibson, Stefan Müller Arisona (eds), Transdisciplinary digital art. sound, vision and the new screen, Berlin, Springer, 2008

Abstract

This paper describes a second-generation mobile music system that adds qualities of physical interaction to previous participative, networked, multi-user systems. We call upon traditions in interactive sensor music instrument building to inform this process. The resulting system underscores its dual personal/community context awareness with a technique of hybrid audio display. This allows the system to exhibit qualities of reflexive social translucence providing a view of the group all while giving each member of the group a responsive sense of agency. The visceral mobile music system was tested in a theatre environment with manageable location tracking and creative non-musical test subjects. The combination of musical practice and interaction design establish artistic creativity as an important component of the research process.