De School
Music For Smartphones โบ Turning Interuption Into Introspection
Music for Smartphones is an experience centered around mindfulness, turning distracting smartphone noise into an immersive sound environment for focus and peace.
โ CHALLENGE
Navigating The Noise of Modern Technology
Smartphones are the backbone of modern communication, but their persistent notifications and ringtones are the source of our constantly distracted lives. These interruptions, though small, can cumulatively disrupt focus, affect mental well-being, and erode the quality of our daily experiences. What About Now Festival tasked us with the challenge to not only highlight this pervasive issue but also transformed it into a positive, reflective experience. Our challenge was to craft an immersive experience that encouraged individuals to reconsider their relationship with smartphone technology, promoting a more mindful and conscious use of these devices.
โ SOLUTION
Turning Interruption Into Introspection
At the heart of our solution was a desire to challenge and change the way we perceive our smartphone devices. The goal became to design an experience centered around mindfulness, crafting a space that allowed visitors to find moments of relaxation and introspection. But, instead of trying to eliminate all smartphone-related distractions from this environment, we aimed to embrase the distractive noises by repurposing them into a unique, immersive sound experience.
6.8B
Worldwide, there are approximately 6.8 billion smartphones.
3hrs
The average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phone each day.
5min
Constant technology use has reduced our attention span from 12 to 5 minutes.
Advanced Sound Manipulation:
By first recording a set of popular ringtones and notification sounds and then slowing them down 10.000 times using advanced sound manipulation techniques an entirely new sound experience was created that enabled us to shift the intrusive audio alerts into a serene, ambient soundscape.
A Physical Space for Relaxation:
Complementing the sound experience, a physical space was crafted to encourage relaxation and contemplation. This 40mยฒ environment was carefully curated to engage all senses, featuring dim lighting a custom immersive audio system and areas designated for walking, sitting, or reclining.
Immersive Audio Experience:
The centerpiece of the experience was the immersive sound system, featuring an custom speaker setup that surrounded the visitors from all sides. By adjusting the playback across various speakers and altering their timing, we created a dynamic experience that immersed people in a 3D soudscape.
โThis experience leverages the power of perspective โ how, with a shift in perception, our daily distractions can be truned into opportunities for mindfulness and peace.โ
Project: Music for Smartphones
Client: De School
Commissioned by What About Now Festival
In collaboration with Boris Acket
- This project was realised while part of Studio Smink -