hypha
Connecting to - and through field recordings in the form of intimate sound-memos.
UX: Ece Günesen, Tom van Wijland
ID: Isabelle Olsson, Julius Bahl
calm connections
Hypha is a product system consisting of two ritual objects of the post-social media era, encouraging us to be present in the moment, and reflect on past experiences through soundscapes.
It makes use of the slow-consumed and abstract medium sound, aiming to remedy our obsessive and distracting relationships with today's visual-based digital realm.
Please activate sound from the right corner of the video.
sound's influence
We started the design process by talking to a sound expert who is experienced in nature field recordings. He described his time recording in nature as a state of deliberate mindfulness where the individual focuses on stillness [to not disturb the recording] and immersion. His shared experiences and insight inspired us to explore sound as a grounding element in tech.
mother pebble:
breathing, purring, warm, mysterious, knowledgeble
little pebble:
high pitch, sharp, trills (prrrtprrrt), cute, melodic
sonic personas
Both devices have unique characteristics and personalities. The sound design, including the functions and feedback of the recorder and the receiving home unit, was crafted to reflect their distinct sonic identities.
clear and quiet tone to let the user know the device is docked
somewhere between wood/ceramic ticking with a little oomph
positive strong melody.
rich, layered, moving sound, as if data is flowing between the objects
clear but low volume tone to let the user know the recording has started
cute, ascending, then sync in a resolved chord to signify connection
gliding, like a whistle, positive.
uncertain, then after the user confirms decision, descending minor
weekly recap
A weekly recap in the form of an audio-visual experience is compiled through all the saved recordings. The system aims to utilize sound as a way of intentional abstraction. By turning moments into a more fluid medium through sound, things become less easily quantified and more open for humane interpretation and reflection.
The composition can be synchronized with diverse data sources at the user's discretion. This allows for a moment of reflection to understand how different types of data, connec and quantified by our digital footprint, may be influencing our thoughts and emotions.
branding
The brand name takes inspiration from a botanical term, the hyphae [or hypha in singular], referring to each of the branching filaments that make up the mycelium of a mushroom bodies. We agreed that a 'connection' of this nature was very fitting to the ethos of our future vision and played with the idea graphically, including some motion graphics and sonic branding.
process
Throughout the project, I was exposed to different softwares that I had no prior knowledge of such as Touchdesigner and Ableton. Despite the mini-project's tight timeframe of just 2.5 weeks, I was able to create data-reactive visuals, albeit with varying degrees of success. More importantly, I gained valuable insights into working with node-based tools and was able to visualize our concept in a simpler manner.
