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Mesa Musical Shadows

2016

Interactive pavement

Musical Shadows is an interactive pavement that reacts to the shadows of passersby by playing sounds of singing voices. The piece was created for the Mesa Arts Centre, Arizona, known to be the sunniest state. Custom tiles in the pavement play singing voices when shadows are cast upon them. As visitors together explore different soundscapes with their shadows, they become part of a collective sound and body performance. This new scenario for public space engages strangers to bump up against one another and share a moment of magic igniting in them a sense of what is possible together.

Shadows cast on different tiles trigger different voices, all singing in harmony. Length of shadow is dependent on the season, the time, and the weather. The result is that a visitor may never quite cast the same shadow twice; it will vary in length, direction, and intensity. The sounds themselves also change with the angle of the sun, making playing with the installation a dynamic experience: entirely different for a visitor encountering it in the morning, the midday, the evening, and at night.

Though all the audio originates with recordings of the human voice, a large variety of sounds and moods are created throughout the day. The sounds triggered in the morning are peaceful and ethereal: sustained choral tones that follow your long shadow, singing you into your day. Later, when the sun is hot overhead, and shadows are shorter, the sounds are chopped and frenetic, creating a rhythmic, energetic soundtrack. Nearing sunset, as the shadows become long again, clusters of complementary, interlocking melodies are triggered. Finally, after dark, the sounds harken toward the natural landscape: insect or bird-like vocal sounds evoke a nocturnal meadow as darkness sets in.

Funded by ArtPlace America and the City of Mesa
Presented at the Mesa Arts Center

# environment, interactive, music, public, shadows, voice
CREDITS

A project by
Daily tous les jours

Creative Direction
Mouna Andraos
Melissa Mongiat

Production
Antoine Clayette
Steve Blanchette

Design & Technology Team
Michael Baker
Anne Ouellette
Eva Schindling
Pierre Thirion

Design Assistance
Lucandrea Baraldi
Inès Ortega

Industrial Design
Dikini

Sound Direction
David Drury

Engineering
Thibaut Lefort, Latéral
Remy Studli

Production Coordination
Anna Gazel

Production Assistance
Malcom Remple

Fabrication
Formule CNC
Maître d’oeuvre

Video Images
Slaven Gujic
Katie Lambert, Evoaz.com

Editing
Geoffrey Boulangé

Merci Thank You
Cindy Ornstein, Rob Schultz, Jean Kaminski, and all at the wonderful wonders of the Mesa Arts Center, from the start backers Michael Tingley, Shawn Jordan, David Crummey, and precious production collaborators Trevor Collon, Daniel Petit, Caroline Gueugnon (CVG Consulting), Cyrus M. Bilimoria, CORE and Talis construction.

PRESS
  • Musical Pavement ‘Sings’ As Shadows Pass Over It

    Mental Floss
    15.07.2016

  • This Art Project Brings People Together Through a Musical Pavement

    Paste Magazine
    13.07.2016

  • A Sidewalk That Sings As You Dance With Your Shadow

    Fast Company

  • Interactive Sidewalk Plays Music to Your Shadows

    Arduino Blog

  • Playin’ the Pavement – Daily tous les jours’ Mesa Musical Shadows

    Creative Applications
    12.07.2016

NOTES
  • The art of walking in cities

    by cecile
    16.03.2018

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