Client: Fusebox Festival

Overview

Fifteen speakers arranged linearly to display multichannel compositions in order to investigate the creative potential of vector sound: sound emanating in linear, bi-directional motion. We commissioned tech-savvy composers to create multi-channel pieces inspired by the past, present, and future of transportation soundscapes. As Austin becomes a manufacturing hub for next-stage transportation, it has become time to critically examine where we are heading. Historically “Ghost lines” were associated with unused train and metro lines. We adopted ‘X’ as a reference to the self-defeating moniker of ‘Space X’. The 15 large speakers were arranged linearly across 300ft and the audience was facing our sculptural array of speakers, each taking on an anthropomorphic character like a crescent of radiant humans. The sound was visualized by sending composition-based data to the lights surrounding each speaker. Futuristic totems were erected in the background to enhance the physical presence of the speakers. There is only one way to truly experience these compositions: by being in the presence of all 15 speakers.

Goals

Fusebox Festival and Waterloo Greenway approached us to perform a memorable, large-scale festival closing event that was open both the attendees of the festival and the general clientele of Waterloo Park, a recently turbo-charged park of Downtown Austin. Waterloo Greenway, the managing organization of the Park also stepped in by financing our event and used the occasion as a fundraiser.

Process

Fusebox Festival has approached us to produce a closing event for their annual festival held in April. Fusebox has already collaborated with the venue, Waterloo Greenway Park for the festival. The Park has a large amphitheater called Moody Amphitheater that we wanted to utilize ever since it opened in 2019. We wanted to lend the compositions a physical character and presence through the deployment of an array of sculptural speakers and lights. As a result we also turned the audience toward the exits as we setup the equipment on the back walkway in a semi-circular shape. We held an international call-for-works and commissioned selected composers to create multi-channel pieces inspired by the past, present, and future of transportation soundscapes.

Additional Information

Rolling Ryot, an experiential art collective, is a project organization of dadaLab. Their original works were mobile soundscapes that moved through residential neighborhoods in formations via bicycles. Their more recent works include a massive 32-speaker installation, Rainforest Reverb (2019) and the dueling percussion ensembles of Dumpster Fire (US Election Weeks of 2020 and 2022).