Transmission

Installation - Seattle Design Festival

July 2016

with GGLO

Description

Transmission is an interactive sound installation consisting of a pair of parabolic dishes pointed at one another across a broad distance. Because the dishes reflect light and waves — as satellite dishes do — people positioned at their focal point can speak to one another in lowered voices and hear each other clearly. The effect is arresting — the voice of your partner seems to come from everywhere. Even while sitting at the dish quietly, you hear ambient white noise, as if you’ve stepped inside a conch shell. By interacting with the installation, people engage with each other in ways they normally wouldn’t, talking across a distance – sometimes telling secrets or declaring love. The installation invokes a sense of wonder as adults and children alike playfully discover and are delighted by how it works. 

I designed the installation to be constructed by one or two people and use affordable and common materials of plywood and standard tile. Computational tools were used to design the shape of the plywood and position of the tiles, producing cut files for a CNC mill.

Software, Hardware, and/or Tools

Rhino, Grasshopper, CNC Milling