Portrait of a Staircase





Project
Moving Pixels
Audio-visual interactive installation
VCUArts Qatar | Northwestern Qatar Exploration
Interaction Design
Sonics
Projection Mapping


In a region where air conditioning is a lifeline against the relentless desert heat, the constant hum that it produces becomes an unnoticed yet defining soundscape.

"Portrait of a Staircase" delves into our intimate relationship with this ambient noise.  
An ever present hum reverberates deep and loud in stairway columns of many buildings in Qatar.  AC vents from all across the building converse here.



These sounds take on rich textures as they bounce around, collide, reverbate and bring unique movment to the place. However, this presence often goes unnoticed to most that pass by this space.



But when the people speak the language of the stairway,  
the space responds.
The installation places a LIDAR proximity sensors in the staircase's busiest corner. As people walk by, these sensors trigger an anti-sound that cancels out the ambient hum rhythmically. This allows passersby to shape the sound environment with their movements, creating a personalized auditory experience.

Additionally, the space responds visually. The system generates randomized gradients for each passerby, pulsating in sync with the hum.


Playing with rhythmic absence, the installation hopes to introduce these often discarded areas as spaces of play and encourages people to explore the rich sonic identity of their own spaces.






Some visuals generated by the interactive system.







Advisor
Peter Welz