User:Anita!/projectproposal

What do you want to make?

A large scale textile soundboard (made as an interactive textile), containing a series of noises collected from public spaces, more specifically squares. It can be played to create different public soundscapes, inviting the person interacting with it to listen, move and imagine a path. Different points produce different sounds caught in the city. The person playing has to move and 'perform' a different choreography each time because of the distance between the triggers playing the sounds, enhancing the physicality and embodying the soundscape. The fibers used for the production of the soundboard will partly be sourced from the squares where the listening and capturing of the sounds will occur, which will be washed, taken apart (perhaps dyed) and re-spun into yarn. This will be done to create a stronger connection to where the sounds originate from.

How do you plan to make it?

Learn how to make my own conductive yarn, spin test yarn with different concentrations of metal and test them out on smaller circuits.

Collect sounds, and fibers from squares in Rotterdam. This will be done by using a series of different listening methods, experiments and exercises I will come about during the development of the project. These will be documented and explained in the thesis.

Design and test an 'interface' for the textile, decide the spacing beween the sensors on a prototype circuit, have many people dance to it

What is your timetable?

October - recording, collecting and listening, drawing circuits, read more on interactive textiles, prepare for public moment and source materials needed for interactive textiles (yarn). Learn intarsia knitting.

November - recording, collecting and listening, test spin conductive yarn, do smaller projects involving woven (and knitted) circuits. Public moment tests and adaptations, coloquim with Michel (another testing opportunity), finalize proposal.

December - recording, collecting and listening, experiment with circuit connections, weaving circuits

January - recording, collecting and listening. Test distances between sensors (outside of the fabric) with larger groups, observe the choreographies people perform while playing. Start testing with woven (or knitted) samples.

February - recording, collecting and listening. Start selecting which sounds to use and why. Experiment with sounds on the sensors (in their skeleton form before they are integrated in the fabric)

March - recording, collecting and listening. Sound editing, making adjustments and playing with the music/instrument. Experiments with overlays, pitch adaptations, 'cheat codes' of combinations of pressing spots that will allow for sound manipulations to happen.

April - Finish preparing all materials for the final fabric. Spin yarn, finish the circuit and code, see what is missing for the piece and collect everything

May - Making the final fabric! And troubleshooting

June - Troubleshooting, graduation show, collective publication

Why do you want to make it?

Sound connects. It is not physical but exists so powerfully in space. It identifies places so distinctively but is not usually thought of or used to describe one, other than ‘noisy’ or ‘silent’. Imagining and playing with mundane sounds, exploring the landscape with no visual aid, to notice and create new imaginary paths. Re-publishing existing and real-life common sounds. Every time someone plays with the project will have a unique quality to it, it likely can not be repeated, making it so subjective depending based on the performer, much like sound in the public spaces where I will be listening and recording. Listening is something so important to me, and I would like for this project to turn players into 'listeners'.

Who can help you and how?

Research and Resources Tutors, classmates and supervisor, by discussing the ideas, reading each others work and talking about research area, many references and recommendation come up, especially from areas that I have yet to look into, or quite far from my research but with overlaps in some way. This also counts for resources, sourcing and machines that I could potentially use for production.

Listening and recording People that i will encounter while listening in public space, maybe sharing personal listening stories and observations.

Prototyping the circuit + code Joseph and Manetta, the people from interaction station, possibly individuals still to be contacted with interactive textile experience like Wendy Van Wynsberghe, Anja Hertenberger and maybe more:)

Weaving (or knitting) the piece Tutors at the fabric station, by giving advice on techniques, methods and materials that would help in the construction.

Testing My classmates and people around the studio. Guests at public moments, and (hopefully) also interested people I will encounter while in public space.

Relation to previous practice

Relation to a larger context

References/bibliography

Deep Listening A Composer's Sound Practice, Pauline Oliveros

Walking, Listening and Soundmaking, Elena Biserna

Basta Now: women, trans & non-binary in experimental music Fanny Chiarello