We were commissioned by Sonos to create an interactive light and sound installation that responds in real-time to Sonos components. The installation is a grid of 600 fluorescent light tubes at varying heights and lengths to create an occupiable interior volume. Sound is gathered from Sonos components in 4 channels through Max/MSP and sent to processing where various behaviours are programmed to respond to the amplitude of the 4 channels. The state of each bulb is then sent to an array of arduino boards that control custom built chips with relays for each individual bulb.

The installation uses light to spatialize sound. It was a great opportunity to use two very spatial elements together to “build” an interactive but very paired down space. The piece acts as a “light organ” that actually visualizes sound from the surrounding components as it passes through the space.

Through a simple user interface the behavior of this visualization can be easily changed an adjusted. Through the pared down use of simple fluorescent tubes the grid of lights becomes an array of vertical pixels. Although the piece is technical complex the goal was to produce something that was visually simple. It is this simplicity that allowed us to use light as an architectural detail. he ability to focus on light, animation, and interaction as a building materials.

Find out more about the process:
Technical development
Photos of the installation