Hypersound

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Sonic Representations in Hyperspaces

Traperas, D., Floros, A. and Kanellopoulos, N. (2017), ‘Sonic representations in hyper-spaces: A creative approach’, Technoetic Arts: A Journal of Speculative Research, 15:2, pp. 221–28, DOI: 10.1386/tear.15.2.221_1

Description of the hyperspatial acoustic system

The various three-dimensional waveforms of sound are detected on two dimensional membranes, the eardrums. The perception of three-dimensional acoustic space is a process of combining this information and takes place mostly in the brain. In order to describe a hyperspatial acoustic system let us make the logical supposition that everything should correspond to one dimension above. The imprinting of the information of hyperspatial sound waves will occur not in two-dimensional membranes but in three-dimensional acoustic organs. The detection of the hyperspatial sound wave will be essentially achieved through a three-dimensional projection of it within the respectively three-dimensional hyperspatial eardrum. Part of the sound will be entrapped in this three-dimensional space and the corresponding organs will analyze and process it, being able to ‘traverse’ it in any direction, even backwards. The related information will be taken for processing to the higher processing organ in order to compose the hyperspatial information.

Description of an interactive installation art on acoustic hyperspace

Specific points in a given space are virtually designated to sources of sound. In the same way that written words can be imprinted on the surface of a piece of paper, so can sound be spatially imprinted in three dimensions. Then, the sensory organ for sound can ‘read’ it as it traces its course. Every point in space corresponds to a point in time of the sound, which no longer evolves in time since it is a spatial phenomenon. Visitors may approach and move away from the virtual sources and the distances that they keep from them are modified in proportion to their speed of movement. Every source creates its own acoustic space. Visitors’ perception of the sound emanated by a source depends on their distance from it and on the distance’s rate of change. Thus, they may perceive sound as evolving slowly, or quickly, or even stopping and, also, they can hear it correctly when moving away from a source that is when the distance is increasing or backwards when the distance is reducing.

Music track : Eagles-Hotel California (Don Felder, Don Henley, Glenn Frey)