Week 2 - Tactile theater

We wanted to translate a piece of music into a tactile experience, in a very direct way. In our experiment, we tried to isolate different sounds into specific sensations. Rhythm is a very common concept in all cultures, and it is not only related to hearing. Visual structures can be seen as rhythm, and we tried to make a structure for touch that can be understood as a form of rhythm.
We used "star guitar" by Chemical Brothers (2003). Michel Gondry made a music video using visual rythm, with elements passing by a train window. This served as another reference to work from.


Overview of the composition



Original video for Star Guitar by Michel Gondry (2003)


Our experiment consists of a piece of cloth, with different materials stuck on it, trying to create a sense of beat and soundscape, if touched in sequence. We listened to the music, and experimented with different materials, trying to find the right texture to match the sound. We simplified the prototype by using only the most dominating sounds. To create a rhythm, we worked with texture, the shape of the object and distance between the objects.
Due to the practical issues, we stopped at 12 strokes into the song, making the piece over 6 meters long.


Using sonic visualizer software to help see the structures.


Our video of how the experiment could be used

Representations of sounds:
Bass: Rocks and curved sandpaper (60).
Clap: Folded cardboard. Snaps when the finger is pulled over it.
High-hat: Crumbled paper.
Ambient: Aluminum foil, pattern of waves.
Rapid tones: Small nails.


Conclusions:
- We found it hard to manage the speed/time in a consistent way. Maybe the goal should not be to try to match the sound, but to use more time to sense the structure of the music.
- To achieve constant speed - and thereby rhythm, we could use a motor for pulling the ribbon.
- It seems easier to "pick up" the rhythm with hearing and sight blocked.
- It would be interesting to test out other ways of creating a "haptic music", using other parts of the body except the hands. using pressure and vibration as well as different textures in sequence.



Sketch: Mechanical setup, to pull the ribbon under a fixed hand.


Other inspiration:
Making of star guitar - Showing how Gondry made the original video.
Electric stimulus to face (Daito Manabe) - Another example of relation between sound and haptic response.


Idea: Use both hands?


Feel the beat..