Artful Media: The Sonic Nomadic: Exploring Mobile Surround-Sound Interactions

Editor's NoteNigel Helyer, sculptor and sound artist; Francesca Veronesi, architect; and Daniel Woo, interaction designer; discuss several of their AudioNomad projects, exploring mobile surround sound and interactivity. Cofounded five years ago by Helyer (creative director) and Woo (scientific director), AudioNomad is an art and science research program—a location-aware virtual and augmented audio-reality system. Its software allows a mobile user or vehicle to perform a soundscape. This article discusses some of the challenges in the development of three works: location-aware, surround-sound installations mounted on ships; mobile handheld devices for individual pedestrian use; and interactive surround-sound installations for static museum exhibition.—Norie Neumark