Octophonopod recap This post serves to collect various iterations of my "Octophonopod" piece in one place.

The first iteration debuted at ArtXposium in 2007. It consists of eight speakers and an accompanying audio-reactive LED display housed within eight paper lanterns. The speakers are fed by four CD players, i.e, eight mono channels of sound run through four car stereo amplifiers. I composed an eight-channel sound piece to run through the system, generating light and sounds in a calming, ambient fashion.

Here's a short video documenting the creation and final installation:




A few months later, I showed it again at Motion Graphics Festival Chicago 2008. Adapting to the installation space, I spread the "pods" out around the room. The result was a much more ambient and directional sound experience, but the sea-creaturesque quaities were obscured.


Octophonopod at MGFest 2008 from Michael Una on Vimeo.

For the past year, I've been chipping away at miniaturizing this piece to fit two cubic feet. The task has required a completely new approach, using a microcontroller to drive flash memory modules and miniature amplifiers and speakers. I've made some breakthroughs lately and am now ready to produce the piece (as soon as I find the time).  ¶ 11/02/2008 07:51:00 PM