The Vessel (2016)/The Artifactory (2018)
Environmental sound design for two large-scale immersive experiences as part of the Vision Gland collective.
Project Descriptions
THE VESSEL
A spacecraft has crash landed in the back yard of the Austin Tinkering School. The unknown race of beings that created the craft took pains to decorate it using references to human material culture...but everything seems a bit...off.
The multi-room and multi-level installation encouraged visitors of all ages to explore the space, find hidden passages into secret rooms, interact with ten unique hands-on experiences and, ultimately, discover insights into an alien race's reason for visiting Austin, Texas.
The Eyeball Arcade was Neal's interactive contribution along with soundscapes providing atmospheric tension and release inside the installation.
This installation was part of the 2016 East Austin Studio Tour.
THE ARTIFACTORY
A race of aliens without the capacity for creative thought and expression is siphoning off human creativity for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Is their intent benign? Nefarious? Deep exploration into the multi-room installation reveals some frightening truths about the intentions of these artless aliens!
Neal contributed soundscapes providing atmospheric enhancement to three of the installation's six rooms including Alan Watts' B.L.O.B.S. (Biometric Light Operated Brain Scanner.)
This installation was funded in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin and was part of the 2018 East Austin Studio Tour.
Components
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Audio trigger PCB
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Retrofitted drive-In movie theater speakers
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Transducers
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Electronic components
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Sound samples
photos by Neal Johnson
