Movement Interaction with a Loudspeaker: An Index of Possibilities

DOI

Creating sound by manipulating the location of sound-producing objects using gestures is an interesting interaction paradigm. To understand it better, we analyzed videos of users interacting with ‘Random Access Lattice’. In this sound installation, users move a loudspeaker to explore sound laid out in space using a time to space mapping. We performed an inductive analysis of user movement in relation to the visitor intention and the sonic outcome. We identified several body, hand, and grip gestures which were performed with different movement qualities to manipulate the loudspeaker at variable speeds, orientations, and body areas. These were used to search and trace the sonic material in a goal-oriented fashion but also to interact creatively with sound by looping and modulating sounds. We provide a visual index of our findings which can be used when designing gesture interactions with sound.