Jardins Sonores / 27.03. - 08.04.2001
Werkraum Warteck pp, Basel
Jardins sonores took place at the "Computerraum" at Werkraum Warteck pp, in Basel. The room has been provided by "StopandGo!" for the duration of three weeks. The enlargement of the room was about hundred meters in square. In the middle of the room was a column. Around this column we established a game zone wich boarders were marked with little green lights. In each corner of the room we putted loudspeakers (8). We divided the game zone into eight sectores in shape of triangles. Therefor we installed 8 wires hanging from the ceiling. These wires were connected to 8 theremins. Proximity of a person to a wire changes the pitch of the theremin. This changement was detected by the computer through a pitch follower. So the computer could determin in wich sector the protagonist is moving.

The protagonist was wearing a wireless microphone on one foot. The microphone captured the sound caused by the movements of the protagonist. An enveloppe follower was used to transform microphone input level to level of a played soundfile (The representation of the protagonist inside the game).

LS = Loudspeaker TH = Theremin FE = Radioreceiver S = Protagonist
The skill of the game was to decover and to solve acoustic riddles and tasks. The protagonist had no idea what he had to do and he did not got any manual or help from outside.

In the first level the protagonist became used to the game zone and the microphone. The game started in total silence. After a short time sounds were faded in. The volume of this sounds were controlled by the input level of the microphon. Each sector had a different sound.

Second level was a kind of waterworld. The direction of movement (right or left turning around the column) was changing water sounds in pitch, left turn was up, right turn was down. After a constant turning in one direction, three times around the column, the water was flooding out of the room and level ended.

Third level was like this. In the lower four speakers bleeping sounds are played. The protagonist had to move this sounds into the upper speakers. He could do this by standing in front of one of the floor speakers. Sound then moved into the upper speaker, stayed there for 30 seconds and falled down back into the floor speaker. To win this level all four sounds (one in each corner) had to be in the upper speakers at the same time.

The fourth Level made a direct connection between the movement of the microphone and the game logic. The level of the microphone input controlled the spinnaround of a sound through the 4 speakers on the floor. Strength of the inputlevel was corresponding to the speed of the spinn. Speed had to reach a certain amount spcified by a threshhold and stay fast for a certain time.

Last Level had a task similar to level three. Sounds in the upper four speakers could be shot down by standing in front of one of the upper speaker. The sound then exploded and sunk down. If all four sounds had been shot down the game ended with a fadeout.