course
description

Ecoacoustics is an intensive four-week program led by artists Florence To and Antoine Bertin.

Combining elements of spatial recording, virtual  reality sound design, and audio installation practices, participants are  invited to develop an immersive experience using the unique 4DSOUND  system, of which there exist only two in the world.    

Leading an exploration of materials, form, human  body, binaural recordings, interactive audio, and listening practices,  participants are taken on a journey to reveal new and unexpected  sensations.       

Our listening reality is intimate, tactile,  spatial, social and temporal. Using creative, analogue and digital means  of bending the sense of hearing, students are invited to explore the  idea of a sound-driven virtual reality. Listening through the ear and  vibrations through the body, the group will devise original strategies  of blurring the boundary between the virtual and the real.

We will survey different techniques and their  applications to gain insight on the future directions of sound. How can  these techniques help us in creating stories that cross the boundaries  of traditional design? As we investigate spatial sculpture and  architectural environments, we will gain further understanding of  psychoacoustics and creative learning through physical objects. 

This workshop will take you from the intricacies  of the ear to the surface of the skin, learning within resonant spaces,  and journeying through the new possibilities in sound experience design  that have emerged through the boom of virtual reality. Learning to  design sound composition through storytelling not only through digital  but within intuitive crafts to create an individual learning and  listening process throughout the program. 

in this course,
you will be
introduced to

• Binaural recording techniques and 360 audio mixing

• Interactive sound design with basic MaxMSP skills

• Tactile audio: Vibrations sensed by the human body

• Multiple channel audio techniques

• Recording and Mixing of original compositions

• Explore the architecture and mysteries of the hearing apparatus.

• Create your own binaural recording rig (dummy ears)

• Learning various processes through sound adaptation

• Investigating how sound is perceived within different environments

• An amazing network and community of like-minded creative beings and potential future collaborators in the field of sound installation, virtual reality sound design, audio experience design.

• Creation of final sound experience open to the public on final day of program.

who is this class for?

This class aims to build a foundation for further artistic development in the areas of electronic literature, code poetry, and creative literary uses of Machine Learning. The course also seeks to build a community of artists, writers, poets, and programmers interested in creative coding, language, and the alternate theoretical approach of code. No experience necessary.

course outline

Week 1: Tools and Techniques for creating spatial sound experiences utilising props and fabrication as necessary

Week 2: Introduction to spatial sound recording and binaural field recording techniques.

Week 3: Getting familliar with the 4DSOUND spatial sound system at MONOM- Berlin's Center for Spatial Sound.

Week 4: Creation of collective sound experiences open to the public on the final day of the program.

who is this
program for?

This workshop is geared toward artists, designers, musicians, and anyone interested in experimenting with tactile materials, and the possibilities of storytelling with perception and spatial sound. There are no formal prerequisites. Everyone interested is encouraged to apply!