Say What is an interactive audio/visual installation that responds to the commotion in a room (and possibly itself depending on mic placement). When undisturbed in a state of equilibrium the system simply drones and displays solid regularly flashing squares on the screen. When the commotion in the room reaches a certain decibel level however this equilibrium is shattered, the squares flash more erratically and break apart and the drone becomes an irregular complex of tones. The decibel level determines how long and how much the system is disturbed before returning to its equilibrium state. Upon transitioning back to this state, the system organizes the scattered blocks on the screen into symmetrical patterns that represent exactly the permutations that now control a more consistent pattern of tones. Eventually multiple tones turn into a single drone and the permutations begin to overlap forming the solid squares from before. Since the dynamic of this piece is based entirely on how much people disturb it, a feedback loop ensues where the social vibe in the room is transformed by the system’s response to those who inhabit it.
* To demonstrate the interactivity of the system, I mocked audience participation which caused a disturbance between the following times: 2:32 - 4:48 and 5:16 - 5:33.
