Padded Perception

An interactive sound environment
2000

A room with a padded floor. Inside there is a padded hollow cube (8 ft x 8 ft) open to one side with a padded bench opposite. All padded surfaces are equipped with touch sensitive sensors and relay information about the participant’s movements to an artificial soundscape engine. Any sonic feedback to his actions the participant may expect to hear is replaced by an alternative sonic response dynamically generated by the artifical soundscape engine. Thus the congruence of physical and sonic reality blurs.

Padded Perception was part of the Artworks Gallery at The Lowry (Manchester, GB) and opened in June 2000 rewiring visitors’ physical actions for the following three years. It was taken down in December 2003.

Concept, design, sound design and programming

Volkmar Klien

Project management

DBA

Shop drawings and statics

Reich+Petch

Sensoring system

MKW Electronics

Contractors

EQ Projects

Commissioned by

The Lowry