Surround Sound Helmet

(2009)

Hard hat, speakers, 5.1 Amp, DVD player

The Surround Sound helmet project was developed as a result of our explorations with surround sound and audio manipulation. This began with the Circling Sound installation and came from a desire to create a audio which would give a sense of sonic physicallity passing sounds through, beside and around the viewer. Surround Sound Helmet was original conceived as a tool for demonstrating the effect of the Circling Sound installation as a personal experience without the need for setting up a large scale peice of work. The helmet uses five 4″ 24W mini speakers. Using found and engineered sounds, the speakers work as one entity as audio is passed around the helmet manipulating the users sense of perception and invoking a feeling of being surround by moving sounds in an attempt to make these sounds appear 3-dimentional. Surround Sound Helmet was first displayed at Amnesty International and Spitalfields Market, as part of the Cybersonica Roadtrip 2009.

The project is currently under development transform these helmets into a larger sonic installation. A selection of wireless Surround Sound Helmets will be able to be worn by multiple viewers, who as they move within the space of the installation will pick up on different frequencies of 5 channel audio. Allowing the viewer to step in and out of different sound scapes and recorded audio settings.