ProSoundWeb: Housed inside a former World War II submarine base in Bordeaux, France, Bassins des Lumières (“Pools of Light”) claims to be the world’s largest digital art center, with more than 13,000 square meters of projection surface to back up the claim, and it presents immersive exhibitions of classical and contemporary art accompanied by musical scores that are delivered by more than 80 Meyer Sound loudspeakers.
3 comments:
Coming from a high school background in sound engineering and design, learning about how the France Digital Art Center put so much effort and thought into the sound design was super cool to learn about. Firstly, I was impressed at how the space took into consideration the reverberation of the sound. I feel as though when a space is designed, the architect often does not think about how the sound will travel in a space, except for a concert hall space of course. Secondly, I think that it was will be very rewarding and effective that the Digital Art Center fleshed out their sound system so well. The sound design of a space has such huge control over the atmosphere and vibe for the audience, and definitely is what subconsciously controls what the audience feels. Yet, sound often goes unnoticed. Being this secret power is what makes sound so powerful. I would really like to visit the Digital Art Center. I have no doubt that the sound contributed to the immersive experience the center provides.
It has become abundantly clear to me that sound design is the ultimate connective design device. Without it, designs feel separate and alone, but with it, a design can envelope you utterly, consuming you and dragging you into the world of the piece, forcing you to leave yourself behind. Especially in pieces like those displayed at the Digital Art Center in france. Somehow, sound can make you forget things that projections can’t, the temperature, the floor beneath you, any imperfections in the mapping. Sound creates a world rather than a piece of art. It welcomes you in. Sound can also have texture, it vibrates through the ground, through the walls and through the viewer. It feels real, tactile, not as if it comes from a machine, but rather as if it was right there in front of you. It is uncanny how it seeps into you without you even knowing that the designer is controlling you with the sound, telling you what to feel.
THIS IS SO COOL. I LOVE hearing about new entertainment technology. The theatre industry is also evolving, and it is one of the aspects of this art form that I find most exciting to me. I will constantly have to be engaged with the programs I am using to create my art in order to produce the best products possible. I will always be learning and growing, so becoming bored, at least right now, seems impossible! I want to challenge myself to always stay up to date with this new technology. As an artist, I have a specific heavy interest in pursuing immersive entertainment and design. I think this will mostly be explored through scenic design, and my brain understands space the best and it is how I process the world, but I also have an interest in incorporating sound design into helping achieve this higher level of immersion. When I consume media, the sound is the thing that helps ground me the most in the world. I can walk around a set, but once you add sound in, I am no longer on a set, but walking a new world. It is the glue that seals all other elements together, at least for me.
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