Vorticity (2018) at Moogfest 2018 – American Underground at Main in Durham, NC.
by Ian Davis | Richard Graham | Edwin Park
“Vorticity (2018)” is an interactive audiovisual installation developed by Delta Sound Labs and Nokia Bell Labs. The piece is comprised of two sonified datasets generated from a high-speed Schlieren imaging experiment, namely the grayscale image pixel data and the vorticity data of a bubble sliding across a glass surface through water.
The sets are converted to analog control voltage using Delta Sound Labs’ Control module and then mapped to determine the timbral structure of two voltage controlled oscillators through a form of distortion synthesis called wavefolding. Each data set forms two short sections, which are repeated continuously.
A series of cameras are used in order to capture the physical dynamics of the audience. As spectators enter the space, their movements are recorded and used to drive a real-time fluid dynamics simulation. Our software analyzes the user-driven fluid simulation to influence the musical structures, and in turn, aspects of the audio synthesis are used to impact the video presentation. When no-one is present in the space, the installation will yield a quieter, more monotone drone piece. When more participants move into the space, the piece will become louder, faster and brighter.