by Noah Rachdi -

The Emotional Space | #8 | Reference Works 2

During my research about reference works that I discussed in my last post (Reference Works 1) already, I also specifically looked for published articles in scientific journals. While I did not stumble over an installation that I would deem very closely related to mine, I found various aspects that bear great similarities to what I imagine The Emotional Space to be built upon. In the following text, I will touch upon four projects that were published in scientific journals that I chose as reference works for my installation.

Most often, [interactive art installations] are works that explore social, political, and experiential boundaries of digital interfaces. They manage to break tradition, ask new questions, and explore new venues.

Nam & Nitsche (2014, p.189)
by Noah Rachdi -

The Emotional Space | #7 | Reference Works 1

While for my Walking Soundscape concept (that I wrote about here) it was almost too easy to find existing reference works, now for my Emotional Space sound installation, this proves to be quite the challenge. But to draw inspiration and build upon knowledge from previous works of other people is such a valuable asset that this step should clearly not fall short. I managed to gather a collection of reference works that I affiliate with different aspects of what I want The Emotional Space to become. While in this post I will focus on installations that I found through various resources, I will dedicate my next post to the same topic, but present the findings that were approached in a more scientific way and got a paper published about them. (This categorization is purely made for reading convenience and does definitely not aim to assert that any of the works below are unscientific).

[…] an arrangement is created in which visitors take on an active influence. Rhythm and variance, like in music, are essential components of the installation […]

ZKM NEWSROOM about “resonate”
by Noah Rachdi -

The Emotional Space | #6 | Artistic Vision

It is a very compelling idea to me to create something generative and non-deterministic, that makes subjective experiences even more unique. And while there does not need to be a reason for that, I still started wondering why that is. What is it that interests me in this? Is it maybe the feeling of creating something alive and dynamic? Or is it the sense of cooperation with other things and beings? Or maybe it is just a spark of artistic insecurity that manifests in the urge to not have total control over ones creations? It could also be the desire to bring some randomness into a never truly non-stochastic, digital world. But most probably, it is a bit of all of those, and more.

These questions might say more about myself than about my vision for the installation, but that is where I think I need to start. I assume that an artistic vision is the reason why an artist creates something, which makes it extremely personal and will therefore in many cases never be known to the public. However, my current study program is called Sound Design and the discipline of design implies a thoughtful intention for creations. Additionally, my project is developed in an academic environment, which calls for an approach that is grounded in research. While this does indeed sound a little bit constraining, I do not think it is necessarily contradicting or even too confining. In the next paragraphs I will lay out what drives me to create The Emotional Space and conclude with what I expect from it.

by Noah Rachdi -

The Emotional Space | #5 | Outlines

I already painted a metaphorical picture of how I imagine my currently merely conceptual installation from a visitors perspective in The Emotional Space | #4. This time, before diving into technical details, I will provide a more straight forward view of what I want The Emotional Space to look like and the necessities to make it work.

The Space

Essentially, I want to create an audio-visual installation, which requires its own room. As an entrance, I would rather have a thick curtain instead of a door, because a door, in my opinion, seems a lot less inviting to visitors, especially if sound can be heard on the other side of it. Entering the room should only be possible after putting on a wristband, which is handed out right in front of the room.