Client: Autodesk’s Pier 9

Overview

The invention of traffic lights was the first indicator that cities were to be ruled by cars. For the Market Street Prototyping Festival in San Francisco, we invited humans to take over with, well, music.

Goals

Because the other side of the street might as well be the other side of the world, Knock Stop Music is a communication system that connects the two sides of Market Street.
Knock Stop Music re-appropriates traffic lights to invite passersby to play with their environment, creating melodic soundscapes that brings awareness to one another. Amidst the constant rumble of the street, the simple gesture of knocking transforms the raw fabric of the city into an interface for creative collaboration.