furusato is site-specific and will be presented on the lawn outside the Music Center of the
University of California, Santa Cruz for two consecutive days. The lawn overlooks the
Pacific Ocean and the surrounding nature. There will be five speakers and several pillows on
the ground for guests to sit on. Three of the pillows have pressure sensors that will trigger
sound from the nearest speaker for as long as a person is sitting down. Additionally, there
will be an infrared sensor that will trigger sound from a speaker near the pathway when a
person walks by, which is intended to draw attention to the rest of the installation.
Once a sensor has been triggered, an algorithm generates a soundscape, which is played back
through several speakers in the room. The algorithm triggers a bank of sounds, recorded by
myself, which are everyday sounds that evoke a sense of home for me. The algorithm selects
several sound samples randomly. The audio gain (volume) and stereo location are randomly
selected for each sample being played back. The result is a sonic collage of my furusato, and
because of the variables, the soundscape is never the same. It would be possible for me to
simply record one iteration of the algorithm and loop and play it back for my installation.
However, by incorporating sensors that react to guests, the sound is always different. This
randomness is significant because it demonstrates that the elements within space, time,
experience, and memory are always changing just as individual ideas of home are constantly
evolving.
Furusato-Sounds of Home
Naomi Lucille Kagaya
Digital Arts and New Media MFA Thesis
