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Sound Environment Workshop – Audio Graffiti Project

Audio Graffiti Project

Audio Graffiti project was developed in Roland Cahen‘s sound art workshop held at Sibelius Academy Finland, department of Computer Music and Technology in September 2009. The concept and design was realized together with Jari Suominen.

Concept

Audio graffiti project consists of multiple audio graffiti units which user can place freely in chosen public urban or rural environment. The Audio graffiti project aims at researching what kinds of possibilities individual – as a sound environment co-inhabitant – has for affecting surrounding sound environment.

The project aims to follow Graffiti Research Lab’s philosophy – to explore how technology can contribute to street art and urban communication and empower individuals to creatively alter and reclaim their surroundings. The project aims to provide an easy step DIY manual for low cost open source Audio graffiti’s. The only requirement is that the person has a basic knowledge of electricity. The audio graffiti consists of piezo speaker, required oscillators, amplifiers and other electric components and solar panel. Shaped schematic can be made of conductive tape or paint.

The audio graffiti can be used as sole or user can place multiple units. Placement of the units in relation to each other depends only on the user. The assumption for this project is that different environments will benefit from various new kinds of sound outputs. We hypothesize that in this way the spatial experience can be more recognizable, aesthetic and joy full.

Workshop Outcomes

At the end of the workshop the outcomes were represented in an old railroad tunnel. Through the works invited visitors were able to redefine the previously forbidden space – aesthetic acoustic works, creating an ambiguous affect indeed.

For creating your own Audio Graffiti you need the following components

- Copper tape
- Foil tape
- Electronic components (please see schematic for more information)
- Sun shine

Our graffiti schematic is based on Ralf Schreiber‘s Solar Sound Module schematic design. For adapting it to our needs we designed schematic in a form of Pablo Picasso’s Dove. The dove’s shape was done with a paper template. To be able to attach electronic components we used conductive copper and foil tape. Copper tape with conductive glue is good for this purpose. Just tape and go. On below is our initial plan for making the shape. Schematic shape taped on the wall was slightly different than the initial plan.

Audio graffiti bird schematic and references

And this is how it might sound if suitable lighting conditions are available (an example by Ralf Schreiber):

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