%% Offener_Schaltkreis.tex % %% Copyright (C) 2005-2008 C.Haag, M.Rumori, F.Windisch, L.Zeller % % % This work conists of following files: % % http://www.forkable.eu/release/osk/Offener_Schaltkreis.tex % http://www.forkable.eu/utils/latex/sty/Offener_Schaltkreis.sty % http://www.forkable.eu/utils/latex/sty/LSI-8x10+crop.sty % http://www.forkable.eu/utils/latex/commands % http://www.forkable.eu/release/osk/i/ % % and the derived files to be found at: % http://www.forkable.eu/release/osk/o/ \documentclass[11pt,english]{scrbook} \title{\emph{Offener Schaltkreis.} An Interactive Sound Installation} \usepackage{i/a/utils/latex/sty/Offener_Schaltkreis} \begin{document} \selectlanguage{english} %_____________________________________________ \begin{normalsize} \noindent This document was set in \LaTeX{}.\\ Apart from the pdf version, the \LaTeX{} code is available at: \begin{quote} \textbf{http://osk.openkhm.de/} \end{quote} \bigskip \vfill \noindent Copyright \copyright{-0.4\lineheight} % SPACING FRONT {-1}{-6} % POSITION {height=1.5\lineheight} % SCALE {1.3\lineheight} % SPACING BACK 2005-2008 C.\smallspace{}Haag, M.\smallspace{}Rumori, F.\smallspace{}Windisch, L.\smallspace{}Zeller \bigskip { \noindent Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version~1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation License''. } \bigskip \bigskip \end{normalsize} \newpage %_____________________________________________ % actual content starts here \newpage \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/birdview_01} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/birdview_02} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/birdview_03} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/birdview_04} %___________________ % CHAPTER BACKGROUND \includepdf[offset=10 0,pagecommand={ \pdftitle{background}}] {i/c/chapter_background.pdf} \begin{quote} ``At the Academy of Media Arts, art, technology, and science work together for mutual enhancement. Different ways of thinking meet: theory encounters practical design, technological programmes and artistic imagination combine.''\footnote{from the information flyer of the Academy of Media Arts, Cologne} \end{quote} The interactive sound installation \emph{Offener Schaltkreis} is actually a result of such a meeting of two different programmes within the KHM: \emph{Hybrid Space} and \emph{OSFA}. The \emph{Hybrid Space} was founded by Prof. Frans Vogelaar within the media design department. ``A new interdisciplinary field of design, researching the transformations of architectural, urban/regional space of the emerging `information age', explores the dynamic interaction of architecture/urbanism and the space of mass media and communication networks. It develops scenarios for the interplay of public urban and public media space.''\footnote{http://hybridspace.openkhm.de} The \emph{OSFA} series of workshops introduced by Martin Rumori is connected to Klanglabor within the department of arts and media studies. \emph{OSFA} translates to ``open source for arts'' and emphasizes on all aspects for using open source technology for artistic purposes. \emph{Offener Schaltkreis} is experienced by putting freely placeable speaker-cylinders on a labyrinth created out of open copper tracks. Since these tracks carry electrical audio signals, underlying sound layers become audible. This simple principle is derived from another project, created at about the same time at KHM: \emph{Talking Cities Radio}\footnote{http://hybridspace.openkhm.de/2006/}. While \emph{Talking Cities Radio} is an interface for the audible content of an exhibition, \emph{Offener Schaltkreis} aims to be a sound installation whose aesthetical criteria were entirely developed collaboratively from scratch.\\ \vfill \begin{center} \epsfig{file=i/v/cupcuts, width=.5\textwidth} \end{center} \vfill %__________________ %________________ % CHAPTER CONCEPT \includepdf[offset=10 0,pagecommand={ \pdftitle{concept}}] {i/c/chapter_aesthetics.pdf} In a city the acoustic impressions differ from place to place, just like inhabitants and surroundings are different. Every neighbourhood has its characteristics and on the way through a city not only the visual, but also the acoustic environment is constantly changing. Within this installation we wanted to underline the simultaneity of diverse environments. The juxtaposition of heterogeneous spheres through the simple arrangement of audio sources, as the translation of what inhabitants of a city face on a daily basis. A heterotopia, not in a strict foucaultian sense, but as the coexistence and interference of places, in this case represented through audio sources. The experience of an urban environment is downscaled and transferred into a room. An experience that depends on the activity of the perceiver and his will to explore his environment. \begin{quote} ``They wander through the sectors of New Babylon seeking new experiences, as yet unknown ambiances. Without the passivity of tourists, but fully aware of the power they have to act upon the world, to transform it, recreate it.''\footnote{Nieuwenhuis, Constant: New Babylon - a nomadic town} \end{quote} Through putting the speaker-cylinder on the tracks a specific place of sound is created, which uses the copper as a source for its emission and therefore for its sensual manifestation. But this mentioned place is not connected to a special place on the map. It is not static but in a permanent change. Free positioning of the speaker-cylinder allows the visitor to create his own soundscapes. Soundscapes, which open themselves only through time and movement in space. The system of copper tracks on the ground is derived from the transportation networks of a city. This fact made it obvious from the beginning, to work with sounds and noises of the city, including their transformations and synthetic imitations. For every copper track an individual piece of sound has been created from collected sound material. The installation is constantly playing. For every track a virtual read head loops in various speeds through a given sound piece. Every track includes four parts, which create, while playing all tracks together, changing auditory scenes. \emph{Offener Schaltkreis} reacts depending on the manner in which the speaker-cylinders are used: if nothing is moved, the sounds stay calm and soft, but if cylinders are repositioned, the currently played sound material is modulated by increasing speed, pitch and velocity. If nothing happens during a few minutes, the installation starts cooling down, back to the quietest, lowest level, where it remains sleeping: just like every acoustic space sleeps while nobody is there. As soon as a single cylinder is moved during this state, the sound-output of all speakers suddenly jump to a higher level of activity. Thus, they give the impression of a social structure: a sensitive, pulsating, constantly shifting body, built with sound. \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_overview01} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_overview02} %________________ %__________________ % CHAPTER TECHNICAL \includepdf[offset=10 0,pagecommand={ \pdftitle{technical}}] {i/c/chapter_technical} \begin{center} \epsfig{file=i/lac/khm-osk-lac-flowdiagram-1, width=.35\textwidth, angle=90} \end{center} \vspace{4mm} A Linux PC with a multichannel audio interface drives the openly installed copper tracks (mass and signals). The freely movable speaker-cylinders also have open copper contacts at the bottom so that placing them on the tracks connects the amplified audio signals to the speakers. The audio recordings are played back by a \emph{pd} patch\footnote{Miller Puckette. About Pure Data. The Pure Data Portal.\emph{http://puredata.org}, 2006.}. The patch is freely available at http://osk.openkhm.de. It reads the materials in progressing loops, playing repeatingly with forward-moving loop markers. That kind of ``macro-granular synthesis/sequencing'' creates a diffuse sound that morphs between different areas of the recordings, presenting ever-changing sound facets. The interactive mapping of the visitor's activity to sound shaping parameters like volume, ``loop'' length (or ``macro grain length'') and thus pitch and speed is done directly in each track's player instance. The more the system is stimulated (up to a certain point), the less the actions of the visitors are taken into account. This kind of damping makes it hard to reach the defined maximum value, allowing for soft boundaries of the dynamic range. The lower end of the dynamic range represents the above-mentioned ``sleeping''. In this state, the least activity on an arbitrary speaker leads to a sudden high increase. In order to accomplish the interactive mapping, it is necessary to track the visitors' actions. Therefore discrete ``put'' and ``remove'' events are generated based on electrical measurements on the copper tracks. Besides the actual audio content signals, all tracks carry an inaudible 20 kHz sine signal at constant amplitude. This is used as a reference signal for counting the amount of speakers that are placed properly on the copper tracks. The sum of the audio and the reference signals is fed back into the corresponding \verb|adc~| inputs of \emph{pd} where the 20 kHz sine signal is isolated. \vspace{7mm} \begin{center} \epsfig{file=i/lac/khm-osk-lac-signals-1, width=.7\textwidth} \end{center} \vspace{4mm} When no speaker is placed on a specific track, the feedback signal of that track will be at $-\infty\ db$ in amplitude, since the electrical circuit is simply not closed. In the arrangement, we avoided adjacent tracks of the same kind, thus making sure that masses and signals are always alternating. As a result, a proper speaker connection is guaranteed at any arbitrary position of the installation. With the first speaker placed, the amplitude of the isolated feedback signal jumps to a certain value well above zero. Due to electrical laws, this level $U_{sens}$ converges logarithmically towards the amplitude of the fed-in signal when more speakers are added to the same track, because all speakers will be situated in a parallel connection ($U_{sens} = 1 - \frac{1}{1 + n}$).\footnote{The more speakers are placed in that parallel connection, the more the equivalent resistance of the floor installation is decreased resulting in an increase of $U_{sens}$ on that voltage divider.} This exponential graph can be transformed in order to get the discrete integer value of placed speakers. The tracking of the visitors' activity is accomplished by interpreting this number on a per track basis. The change of this quantity is either an addition or removal of speakers. As described above, this information is then used as a parameter for the sound generation within \emph{pd}. \vspace{25mm} \begin{center} \epsfig{file=i/lac/khm-osk-lac-electrical-1, width=.6\textwidth} \end{center} \vspace{4mm} \clearpage % PD PATCHES % {\renewcommand{\footnoterule}{\rule{0pt}{0pt}} % REMOVE FOOTNOTERULE \includepdf[scale=.75,offset=0 40,frame=true,pagecommand={ \annotation{Patch 1:\\ For each copper track on the floor a unique instance of a player abstraction is running. }}] {i/v/patches1_farm} \includepdf[scale=.75,offset=0 40,frame=true,pagecommand={ \annotation{Patch 2:\\ The player abstraction is moving through the loaded wave in slowly progressing loops, creating a macro-granular synthesis/sequencing sound that varies in pitch and speed. }}] {i/v/patches2_player} \includepdf[scale=.75,offset=0 40,frame=true,pagecommand={ \annotation{Patch 3:\\ For each track a monitor abstraction is loaded as well, in order to count the number of placed speaker-cylinders on a per-track basis. }}] {i/v/patches3_locals} \includepdf[scale=.75,offset=0 40,frame=true,pagecommand={ \annotation{Patch 4:\\ Each placement or removal of speaker-cylinders is recognized by the patch and fed into a ''leaky integrator'', whose amount is increased by these events and decreased by time. This amount controls the changes in pitch and speed for the player-abstractions. }}] {i/v/patches4_liki} \includepdf[scale=.75,offset=0 40,frame=true,pagecommand={ \annotation{Patch 5:\\ To give the visitors clear feedback about their actions, a short notifying sound is played for each proper placement of a speaker-cylinder. }}] {i/v/patches5_notify} } % REMOVE FOOTNOTERULE % PD PATCHES %%%%%%%%%% \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/rohr_top.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/rohr_bottom.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/rohr_view.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_machine.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_connections.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_behind.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_circuitboard.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_circuitboard.pdf} %__________________ \includepdf[offset=10 0,pagecommand={ \pdftitle{lange nacht der museen\\ \vspace{0.1\lineheight} \LARGE{köln 2006}}}] {i/c/chapter_lndmk} % \includepdf[scale=.990,offset=-6 0]{i/c/chapter_lndmk.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_setup06.pdf} % \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_setup02.pdf} % \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_setup03.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_setup05.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_setup04.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_opening01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_opening02.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_overview01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/lndmk_overview02.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0,pagecommand={ \pdftitle{makeart\\ \vspace{0.1\lineheight} \LARGE{poitiers 2007}}}] {i/c/chapter_makeart} % \includepdf[scale=.990,offset=-6 0]{i/c/chapter_makeart.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_impressions.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_opening01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_opening02.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_setupoverview01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_setupoverview02.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_totale01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_totale02.pdf} {\renewcommand{\footnoterule}{\rule{0pt}{0pt}} % REMOVE FOOTNOTERULE \includepdf[scale=0.95,offset=5 10,pagecommand={ \annotation{ qt\_proofsheet makeart2007\_timelapse.mp4 makeart2007\_timelapse.tga \\ --spacing=0 --title=0 --timecode=0 --framesize=266,200 \\ --framesperrow=14 --framerate=0.4 --duration=5,595 }}] {i/p/makeart_timelapse01} \includepdf[scale=0.95,offset=5 10,pagecommand={ \annotation{ This is a sequence of 125 images that are taken from a timelapse video (http://osk.openkhm.de/repository/video/osk\_makeart.mp4) that spans from April 2nd to April 9th at makeart 2007 in the Maison d'Architecture Poitiers. The construction and disassembly time as well as the whole festival period is shown. Please note that the disassembly period is running slower and night times have been removed. }}] {i/p/makeart_timelapse02} } % REMOVE FOOTNOTERULE Since this work originated out of the seminar series \emph{OSFA}, the use of open sourced software was indeed one of the few fixed preconditions for developing this project. The installation tries to empower the visitors or listeners to act on their own. We try to give them the freedom to use the installation in any way they wish. This attempt finds its counterpart in the use of free software, within the empowerment of using and modifying software in any way we choose. Of course, also the economic aspect of using open source software is important to its use in the context of media art, since it sometimes simply means: ``free as in free beer''. Open Source is generally available on more platforms than proprietary software, since everybody can hack a port to his favorite system, thus complying more easily to his predefined requirements. Works that are developed in an academic context, like \emph{Offener Schaltkreis}, are often intended to be presented as a publication that documents more than just the result -- but also the path that was taken during the design process. Obviously, presenting code as open source is an almost obligatory requirement for this way of highlighting processes besides the result itself. Furthermore, the open source community provides proven systems for licensing and sharing the author's work. \vfill \pagebreak[4] %%%%%%%%%%%%%% \noindent Our thanks go to Martin Nawrath, technical staff of the KHM, Prof.\smallspace{}Anthony Moore, Head of Klanglabor at KHM, Tobias Beck, Michael Thies, Anselm Bauer and the entire \emph{Talking Cities Radio} team. \vfill \noindent \noindent \textbf{Offener Schaltkreis} \begin{flushleft} \begin{list}{}{} \item\textbf{Project Team}: Christoph Haag, Martin Rumori, Franziska Windisch and Ludwig Zeller. \item \textbf{Academic Support}: Prof.\smallspace{}Anthony Moore \item\textbf{Project Support}: Tobias Beck, Micha Thies, Anselm Bauer, Frank Barknecht \item\textbf{Technical Support}: Martin Nawrath \end{list} \medskip \begin{minipage}[t]{1.02\textwidth} \noindent \textbf{Special Thanks} to the entire Talking Cities Radio team, goto10 and the many people at MakeArt festival, who helped us scrub the floor at Maison d'Architecture... \end{minipage} \end{flushleft} \vfill \noindent Offener Schaltkreis continues the original concept of Talking Cities Radio. \medskip \noindent \textbf{Talking Cities Radio} \begin{flushleft} \begin{list}{}{} \item\textbf{Project Leader}: Prof.\smallspace{}Frans Vogelaar \item\textbf{Project Management}: Christoph Haag und Ina Krebs \item\textbf{Project Support}: Andreas Muxel (light concept and design), Isabelle Niehsen (graphic design), Heiner Schilling (photography), Therese Schuleit \item\textbf{Technical Support}: Martin Nawrath, Heinz Nink, Martin Rumori \end{list} \medskip \begin{minipage}[t]{1.02\textwidth} \noindent \textbf{Talking~Cities~Radio} was realised in cooperation with \textbf{urban~drift~productions~Ltd.} at the Department of Hybrid Space, Academy of Media Arts, Cologne. \end{minipage} \end{flushleft} \vfill \noindent \begin{figure}[h] \center\epsfig{file=i/v/logo_hybrid+khm+klab+labIII.pdf, width=1.02\textwidth} \end{figure} %%%%%%%%%%%%%% \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_cleanup01.pdf} \includepdf[offset=10 0]{i/p/makeart_cleanup02.pdf} % IMPRESSUM % \addtolength{\evensidemargin}{-.3in} \noindent \begin{minipage}[t]{1.1\textwidth} % \begin{minipage}[t]{5.4in} \noindent \textbf{Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek}\\ The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. \bigskip \noindent \begin{Large}\textbf{Der offene Schaltkreis}\end{Large} \medskip \noindent Copyright \copyright{-0.4\lineheight} % SPACING FRONT {-1}{-6} % POSITION {height=1.5\lineheight} % SCALE {1.3\lineheight} % SPACING BACK 2005-2008 C.\smallspace{}Haag, M.\smallspace{}Rumori, F.\smallspace{}Windisch, L.\smallspace{}Zeller \begin{list}{}{} \item Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the \textbf{GNU Free Documentation License}, Version~1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; \end{list} \noindent Any of the trademarks, service marks, collective marks, design rights, personality rights or similar rights that are mentioned, used or cited in this book are the property of their respective owners. Their use here does not imply that you may use them for any other purpose other than for the same or a similar informational use as contemplated by the original authors under the GFDL licensing scheme. % \bigskip % \noindent % Printed in the UK by \textbf{Lightning Source} \bigskip \noindent \begin{Large}\textbf{ISBN 978-3-00-027885-3}\end{Large} \end{minipage} \vfill \begin{flushleft} \bigskip \noindent This document was set in \LaTeX{}.\\ \noindent \textbf{Sourcecode} and \textbf{rendered pdf} file are available at \textbf{http://osk.openkhm.de}. % \lstset{language=TeX} % \begin{lstlisting} % This document was set in \LaTeX{}.\\ % \bigskip % \noindent % \textbf{Sourcecode} and \textbf{rendered pdf} file % are available at \textbf{http://osk.openkhm.de}. % \end{lstlisting} \end{flushleft} % \noindent % Typed with \textbf{NotCourier-sans}.\\ % Copyright \copyright{-0.4\lineheight} % SPACING FRONT % {-1}{-6} % POSITION % {height=1.5\lineheight} % SCALE % {1.3\lineheight} % SPACING BACK % 2008 \textbf{OSP}\smallspace{}(Ludivine Loiseau). % % \begin{list}{}{}\item % \textbf{NotCourier-sans} is a re-interpretation of Nimbus Mono % and was designed in Wroclaw at the occasion of LGM 2008.\\ % Download at http://openfontlibrary.org/media/files/OSP/309 % \end{list} \bigskip \noindent LAFKON Publishing GbR\\ Kitzenmarkt 8\\ 86150 Augsburg\\ \smallskip \noindent \epsfig{file=i/a/utils/graphics/logos/lafkon, height=2.5\lineheight } \includepdf[scale=0.9,offset=10 0] {i/a/utils/licenses/gfdl/GNU_Free_Documentation_License_Version_1-2.pdf} % IMPRESSUM % \includepdf{i/a/utils/graphics/blank/white.pdf} \end{document}