ECHOES
Founder of ECHOES
ECHOES is a platform to walking sound and spatial audio. I founded it and built most of the central technologies.
CITY OF FLOATING SOUNDS
Symphonic walking audio experience
Playing with the boundaries of classical music performance, in the City of Floating Sounds Huang Ruo invites us to become performers by taking out our mobile devices and playing his music on the streets. The music synchronises between us to create an impromptu ensemble performance, where the concert goer is given the opportunity to play their part in the performance, creating agency for the listener and breaking boundaries in classical music performance
The performance culminates in an innovatively-staged live performance with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra at Aviva Studios in Manchester.
The technology for City of Floating Sounds had two challenging aspects:
- A mass synchronisation of audio – a huge logistical challenge, with people bringing every manner of device. Any concert goer should be able to download the app and start playing the audio and it be perfectly synced to everyone else’s, without any tethering or pairing.
- A live heatmap of all concert-goers showing indeterminate location of other concert goers to create a more interactive and gamified performance.
We created and delivered a robust solution for this, available for download in the app stores.
Performances
April 2025 - Southbank Centre - book tickets
July 2024 – Lincoln Center in New York.
June 2024 + more info ℹ️ Factory International’s website
The BBC’s page
DEEP TIME WALK
App rebuild
I am collaborating with the Deep Time Walk founders to rebuild their Deep Time Walk app, which allows listeners to step into the deep time history of earth.
Deep Time Walk is a transformative journey through 4.6bn years of Earth history via a 4.6km guided walk. It is an invitation to view the world differently, encouraging positive action and advocacy for a regenerative Earth.
vARdo
Innovative sonification aid
In collaboration with Richard Hemming, Senior Research Associate in Immersive at the ESRC Centre for Sociodigital Futures (CenSoF) in University of Bristol, I have been developing a unique digital app vARdo which enables blind and partially sighted users to detect objects using auditory scene analysis, effectively ‘sonifying’ objects in the space using onboarding cameras and AR technology.
It’s expected results will be available in 2025.
POINT.A
Synchronised audio theatre
POINT.A’s ECLIPSING is a synchronised theatrical walking experience for multiple listeners. Andrew Schneider and Annie Saunders built on their extensive experience make site-specific artwork to develop this ground-breaking listening experience.
The technology allows multiple listeners to synchronise their listening experience together without any interaction, just start the performance and tune in.
It takes you on a journey where you’re never quite sure what is part of the performance, and what’s just in your headphones.
It is part of SXSW Film & TV Festival 2024, commissioned by the Long Center, Austin Texas, USA.
Read more on POINT.A’s website
LOVE IS THE HIGHEST ECONOMY
Massive scrolling light display
I created the technology in collaboration with Still Moving for an enormous light installation at the Civic Centre in Plymouth, commissioned by Plymouth Culture.
The commission features 17.5-metre-high scrolling text using ultra-high efficiency LED bulbs.
SYMPHONIC GARDEN
Interactive garden
I designed and created the technology for an interactive garden in collaboration with the Symphonic Garden team: composer Emmanuel Witzthum, architect Lila Chitayat, and percussionist Itamar Doari.
It features an interactive trampoline, benches, and movement sensors, as well as the time of day and weather sensors.
It was commissioned by NEXT Mannheim and premiered at the BUGA (Bundesgartenschau) 2023.
