Fri Apr 1, 2016
Fireflies is a multi-channel, multi-participant interactive sound experience which takes place in the middle of an art exhibition surrounded by various works. My goal was to make people interact with each other without giving explanations, and see how they react.
Small screens hung on the walls display the following image inviting visitors to participate.
Once connected, the loaded website presents a minimal interface: each user has a round avatar they can drag around with the finger on the screen. The positions of all particpants are synchronized using websockets, like in a multi-player game.
The magic happens when the avatars are brought into the proximity of other users: a bird-like sound synthesizer (written with Flocking) emits sounds in turns from the devices involved in the current cluster. I tried making the sound of each device unique and recognizable, trying to make participants curious about who are they are interacting with, maybe looking around to find out where their virtual partner’s sound is coming from. I chose bird like sounds thinking that they could add an interesting layer that does not interfere much with other potential sounds or chatting happening during the exhibition. Also, sounds of nature could be pleasant and create a nice atmosphere.
Screenshots of the app. When interacting with other avatars, a white ring grows around you and lines are shown representing the sound being emmitted.
Fireflies was presented during the Lacuna Lab Activation Exhibition in 2016.