“d-rhum” by Franck and Schwartz
Conference:
Type(s):
Entry Number: 09
Title:
- d-rhum
Program Title:
- Digital Bayou
Presenter(s):
Collaborator(s):
Description:
d-rhum (drum room) is a room that responds to the presence and movement of its occupants. Computers translate sensor data into commands to motors. The motors stretch, push, strike with mallets, and move sections of the walls or the walls themselves. The walls are built of malleable materials, such as latex, with embedded deformations and a variety of rhythmic sonorities and vibrations. As participants enter and move around the room, they notice that the walls move, change in shape, and emit percussive sounds. Upon further investigation, they discover that they can interact with aspects of the movements and sounds of the room by coordinating their movements. They are encouraged to play the room like drums with random and deliberate movements around the sensors.
The spatial configuration of d-rhum and its participants is dynamic and constantly evolving. Within this fluid environment, participants begin to see that their personal boundaries are fuzzy. As they move, so do the walls, blurring the traditional limited expectations of an architectural space. Certain combinations of movements cause deformations and sound emissions, but it is never clear which movements generate which reactions.
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