Art & Science Meeting, Gdańsk 2011

I'm just leaving Gdańsk in northern Poland, where I managed to attend the Art & Science Meeting conference. I should have been sitting home preparing for the final show in less than two weeks time now, but I could not miss this kind of event in my own country.

And it was definitely worth it!

I visited three very interesting shows, each tackling a completely different aspect of art + science theme. "The Pleasure of Light" is a retrospection of work by F Malina and G Kepes work from fifty years ago. "Performing Data" by M Fleischmann and W Strauss reveals the very beginnings of virtual reality and computer interaction projects, as well as the creation of 3d spaces. All this when I was enjoying Mario Bros on my 64 colours Nintendo console in 1992! The last one is "Blue Morph" by V Vesna and J Gimzewski. It is a lovely piece really gaining from being placed in a gothic church.



"Blue Morph" by Vesna & Gimzewski.

In five hours time I will be boarding a plane back to London and going straight to work on my own projects. Nevertheless, I will have very positive memories from Gdańsk in May 2011!

The End of Hearing: building the Otomixer #3

Today I bought half a liter of white primer and half a liter of white glossy paint, and I gave the Otomixer its lovely, elaborate, bespoke colour—clear, neutral white. I decided to keep it white for several reasons:
• it is a medical appliance, therefore it needs to fit our expectations of such device;
• it is a tool of the future, and future is clean and sterile—at least in science fiction that I read;
• it is the best colour for something that does not exist (yet!);
• it will be a nice background for the glass vials with vividly colourful liquids;
• it will help focusing on what the tool does, rather than how it looks like, which is what I hope for.



The final coating of the Otomixer can be seen above. Of course I could not stop myself from spraying too much paint, which proves the old saying from my homeland right: "the very good is the worst enemy of the good"...

Tomorrow I will start mounting the glass vials on the top of the Otomixer, cleaning the jack sockets, installing 4 bumpers to the base, laser cutting the front panel and of cause installing the equaliser mechanism (this however, will not take place in the workshop due to the fact that dust might not be beneficial for electronics).

The End of Hearing: building the implants #2

So apart from 60 ready to use radio receiver implants, I will need to present them in a way to the audience, and also think of how to give them as a reward to those, who decide to help we with the feedback.



I tried out using an old ink pen box, but it does not work really, makes the whole thing look rather cosy and gives a wring impression about the nature of the implant. It probably need to be more medical, with an edge, a bit like medical devices opened from a disposable septic packaging and then disposed into a bin with other tools heading for a hot, bubbly, germ-killing bath. Or something like a metal tray with meat in Marks & Spencer (btw, what a criminal waste of materials and resources!).

All this needs some thought.

The End of Hearing: building the implants #1

Apart from the Otomoxer, I need to build a number of working radio implants. This is the physical part of the "Voices inside my head" story, where a possibility of having a radio receiver implanted into the cochlear nerve is discussed.

I ordered sixty germanium OA91 diodes, which proved to work well before. Apart from that I need capacitors and induction coils.



Although previously I had managed to tune in to talkSport at 1089 kHz, the signal was rather weak. This is because I had picked the value of the capacitance imprecisely. Later on I managed to tune in to BBC radio 5 at 909 kHz. I used a pair of 390 pF ceramic capacitors (joint capacitance = 780pF) and a 39 uH inductance coil. This makes the circuit resonate at 912 kHz—almost precisely at the wavelength of BBC 5!

I will assemble 50 "BBC radio 5" receivers and 10 "talkSport" receivers. I hope all these will work in the Rochelle School during the show. One of my concerns is the roof, which is made of tin-clad. This might hinder the reception. Another issue is the antenna—should I organise a more professional one, or stick to the simple wire, which has been working to a better or worse extent all the time now?

The End of Hearing: building the Otomixer #2

Today I managed to successfully glue all Otomixer bits together.
The whole thing is rather solid and heavy—I did not expect it to be that big.
But the glass vial I also have to use with the prototype are big themselves, so they in a way dictated the scale of the Otomixer.



Yesterday I soldered a small board with two stereo 3mm jack sockets and cables: there is only one cable connected to both input channels, so de facto it is a stereo socket providing only mono output. But this is enough for me and for the project—anyway, the equaliser inside the otomixer has only one channel as well, so it just needs to be the lonely mono.



After gluing everything together and just after I started filling all gaps and holes with putty—I realised I confused the side that the vial block is pointing towards! It is mirrored—the other way round than I designed initially. But it turned out to work not bad at all, if not even better. At least for a left-handed person...



Tomorrow I wish to start impregnating mdf and priming it. I will see how long will it take, but maybe I will also be able to put the first layer of white paint...



On Friday I will have the main panel laser cut in the Southampton Row basement. Then it will only need to have the equaliser mechanism with the potentiometers fitted, glass vials mounted and sealed dry, as well as a pair of rails installed at the end of the Otomixer arm, where the compound will be extracted. Not that much...

The End of Hearing: building the Otomixer #1

So as part of the show set and the whole project, and the general method I am using in my work right now—I started building a speculative/fictional/God-save-us-from-it object. It is the Otomixer—a tool for regulating one's hearing. By adjusting the frequency bands of your hearing with the equaliser sliders you can customise your own ototoxic compound, take it and experience hearing loss according to your settings. It can be in effect from as short as 4 hours, to as long as one's lifetime—so use the timing know with care!



I started building the Otomixer in Central St Marintn's wood workshop in Southampton Row building last week. And this is the nicest workshop I've ever been to (I've been to three, worked in two). They've got plenty of nice, old, sturdy machines, which are pure pleasure to use. This is actually the last year anyone can use those facilities in the epic Southampton Row building, because everything's moving to King's Cross in summer. Lucky me!

I will publish some pics with the workshop itself, because I feel it's just too much pity to have it forgotten. I wish to remember working there...

The End of Hearing: Voices Inside My Head scenario

Radio waves. Ultrasounds. Infrared. All these parts of our rich reality remain beyond the range of our human sensory suite. Our hearing detects air pressure fluctuations only between 20 and 20.000 beats per second. Our seeing is constrained merely to the visible light part of the electromagnetic spectrum. This is what we are equipped with by nature...

But what if we could extend our perception with the help of technology? What if we were able to be physically connected to everything that happens across the ether? What if we could communicate almost telepathically with humans and machines alike?

At DAFT Institute, the Research Unit investigates into the future of augmenting human perception. They try to find a match between the cutting edge scientific developments with the real-life situations. The results of their work will help define but also compensate the limits of human cognition.

Augmenting Implant Radio is a radio receiver connecting to human central nervous system. It is a miniature glass capsule with a receiver capable of tuning into most of the radio wavelengths. Acting as an antenna, human body amplifies the reception. This footage shows the implantation of the AIR at DAFT's research clinic. It is a safe procedure based on a similar one used for modern hearing implants. The AIR connects with the cochlear nerve, which links the inner ear directly to the brain. This way a direct interface between the wireless infosphere and the human auditory faculty can be created. In practice it will enable a person with the AIR to sense radio transmissions almost telepathically.

There is a range of potential applications for this very new technology. Severe insomnia due to lack of urban noise stimuli can be mitigated with the AIR. If implanted at an early stage of newborn's brain development, it is possible for the child to produce a natural understanding of radio signals alongside learning to interpret visual or acoustic information. The AIR can also make the next major leap towards realising mankind's long-yearned dream of ubiquitous computing and augmented reality.

DAFT Institute strongly believes in the future of man-machine symbiosis. Augmenting Implant Radio offers a new platform for augmented hearing and a promise of revolutionary change in human societies and behaviour. This is an informed trade-off between our progress and our hearing.

Call for volunteers! Augmenting Implant Radio will undergo a series of clinical tests later this year. We are calling for all volunteer participants, who wish to have the AIR implanted and go through the cognitive adaptation course. You can contribute to this pioneering research project!

The End of Hearing: Blasting! scenario

Human hearing is an extremely sophisticated and fragile organ.
In the past we were vulnerable to hearing trauma. Today, thanks to the revolutionary sound conditioning treatment, we are able to immunise our hearing to damaging levels of noise.

This is an old footage from a sound conditioning research lab showing the effects of the treatment on humans. Although initially intended to prevent hearing damage, sound conditioning treatment proved to be an exciting process in itself. It is often compared to an accelerated bungee jump, because of the rapid adrenaline rush it triggers. Now it has became increasingly popular among extreme sports enthusiasts, who dub it “blasting”.

At DAFT Institute, the Human Behaviour Unit is particularly interested in the future. To investigate into the opportunities arising from hearing immunity, they develop scenarios and analyse them. The results of their work provides a fresh insight into human behaviours and needs.

The Acoustic Amusements Centre is a proposal for building an arena for blasting sports. It is DAFT's design response to the emerging need for regenerating urban areas affected by noise pollution. Because blasting requires high quality sound insulation, the close proximity to the third Heathrow runway will not affect the Centre. The facility will consist of a scene for blasting shows, blasting booths for private experience, International Blasting Association offices and a sound conditioning research laboratory. Considering the current popularity of blasting in the world, the Centre should be seen as a serious financial opportunity as well.

The Acoustic Amusements Centre is the next milestone in our relationship with the hearing. DAFT believes that blasting can be progressed from a minor technological spin-off into a paying off entertainment venue. This is an informed trade-off between our progress and our hearing.

The End of Hearing: Artificial Silence scenario

Noise pollution. Urban transportation. Excessive use of personal music players.
This is a daily routine for most of the population.

These commuters are listening to music louder than 85 Db. At least one of them will experience hearing damage by the year 2020. Noise induced hearing loss has become a major civilisation health threat.

But what if more than half of the population becomes hard of hearing? How is that going to change the meaning of the word “impaired”? Who will need to adapt to the new circumstance? What kind of help could they be offered?

At DAFT Institute, the Human Environment Unit focuses on the future. To explore the ways of dealing with noise pollution they ask questions, which may seem absurd. But the answers are taken very seriously, as they can promote developing new revolutionary ideas.

The Otomixer is a hearing regulation tool of the future. It is suggested in response to the increasing demand for a system providing a way of dealing with noise pollution. Unlike any other solution, the Otomixer adjusts one's hearing to the soundscape. It does that by administering a dose of ototoxic drugs, which temporarily paralyses hearing. Designed by DAFT as an instant personal treatment, it can be easily used at home. A straightforward “what you HEAR is what you get” interface precisely translates equaliser settings into a customised antibiotics compound, which can be injected or taken orally. By adjusting the density of the compound it is possible to control the duration of the toxic action. It can be everything from a daily wellness pill to a life-long vaccination against noise.

The Otomixer is a radical answer to many life situations.
Mrs Richards: I live in a noisy urban area. For many years I used to have restless nights. A pill of eight-hour strong ototoxins solved my problem.
Mr Bedford: I work in airport ground service. I have been taking an injection against medium frequency noise every quarter for two years now. My comfort at work now has hugely improved.
Dr Khan: I am an an audiologist. I prescribe specialist ototoxin compounds for people with hearing oversensitivity. This is how hearing impairment is treated today.

DAFT believes that future is to be invented and designed today. The Otomixer provides a loud forewarning of the approaching risks, but also a radical solution to the emerging conditions. This is an informed trade-off between our progress and our hearing.

The End of Hearing: realising the obvious

Many things to do and little time to write about them.
I realised what my project really is about. It is not about sound or hearing, but rather about a new concept of the role of a designer. Thanks to Sadhna for helping me formulate this important thought! This was lingering in the back of my head for some time now, but only now did I force myself (was I forced) to admit to what I thought.
But don't worry—sound and hearing are still a theme in my project. After all it's called "The End of Hearing" and I still believe this is a lively issue today.
It's quite late in night again, so my English is worsening with each sentence now.
I will have five more posts today, and then some more photos to show later during the week. Stay tuned!