In groups, choose one interactive artwork related to listening, voice, sound, attention, dialogue, surveillance, or acoustic presence.
Your task is to analyze the original artwork and propose a contemporary reinterpretation that responds to today’s technologies and social issues.
You may choose one of the following, or propose another relevant project.
Listening Post — Mark Hansen & Ben Rubin, 2001 An installation that captures fragments of live internet conversations and transforms them into scrolling text, synthetic speech, and musical rhythm.
Microphones — Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, 2008 A circle of vintage microphones that record and replay voices, turning speaking and listening into a shared archive of presence.
n-cha(n)t — David Rokeby, 2001 A network of computers that listen to the room and to each other, producing a collective chant that is disrupted by human speech.
The Living Room — Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, 2001 An interactive environment where visitors’ conversations are captured and used to generate internet-based images and sounds.
The Messenger — Paul DeMarinis, 1998 An artwork that translates incoming email messages into physical, sonic, and visual events.
Very Nervous System — David Rokeby, 1986–1990 A foundational interactive work in which body movement is translated into sound, making the visitor “play” the space.
Messa di Voce — Golan Levin & Zachary Lieberman, 2003 A performance system that visualizes the human voice in real time, transforming vocal expression into animated graphics.
Uirapuru — Eduardo Kac A telematic artwork connecting birdsong, robotics, and remote listening across continents.
The Tunnel under the Atlantic Ocean — Maurice Benayoun, 1995 A tele-virtual installation where the voice of another participant acts as a guide through a shared virtual space.
Sounds and the Shadows of Sounds — Paul DeMarinis, 1978 A sound installation exploring environmental sounds and their spectral traces.
Anonymous Muttering — Knowbotic Research, 1996 A networked sound environment connecting onsite visitors, DJs, and internet users into a shifting soundscape.
In Conversation — Susan Collins, 1997–2001 A public-space work where internet users typed messages that were spoken aloud to passersby, who could respond through a hidden microphone.
For your chosen artwork, prepare a short analysis and remix proposal.
Discuss:
Concept: What idea of listening does the artwork explore? Is listening treated as attention, surveillance, communication, memory, participation, translation, or control?
Interactivity: How does the audience interact with the work? Do they speak, listen, move, wait, observe, respond, or disturb the system?
Audience Experience: What kind of listening situation does the work create? Is it intimate, public, collective, uncomfortable, playful, meditative, or political?
Cultural Significance: Why was the work important in its historical context? What technologies, social behaviors, or anxieties did it respond to?
Propose a modern reinterpretation of the project.
Your remix should respond to one contemporary issue, such as:
Consider:
Each group prepares a brief pitch of the remix idea.
Suggested structure:
Original artwork Name, artist, year, and short description.
Key idea about listening What form of listening does the original artwork explore?
Your remix title Give your new version a name.
Remix concept What is your contemporary reinterpretation?
Interaction scenario What does the audience do, and what does the system do in response?
Technology used For example: microphones, speech recognition, AI-generated voice, sensors, live data, spatial audio, phones, VR, web platforms, machine learning, or networked devices.
Social or ethical question What issue does your remix make visible?