My final conference project was an expansion on my early experiments (as seen in my previous post). I decided to expand on the abstract concept of what happens in your head when you take a walk. To make the audio-reactive effect more interesting, I made a field recording using a Zoom microphone to record myself walking around the tennis courts. I made sure to change my pace, at some points walking slowly, some points running, and sometimes standing in place. I also bounced a tennis ball. I started and ended the recording with silence and stillness, starting with leaving my house and ending with returning.
Visually, I kept most of the same effects as my earlier project. Instead of two boxes, I used a sphere inside of a box. I liked the effect of the box hiding and revealing the nucleus. This connects to the idea of the mind opening and closing around thoughts.
I also added fractals to the texture of the box. I presented on fractals for my skillshare, so I was able to spend a lot of time with it. I liked the effect of movement within movement, and made the fractal movement subtle and slow, in comparison to the erratic and turbulent movement of the box.
It was a therapeutic experience to design this and I hope that it is somewhat calming to the viewer. I think the ultimate goal is to strike a balance between engaging and relaxing. Ideally the juxtaposition between subtle outdoor sounds and bright colors and patterns is stimulating without losing the meditative purpose of the field recording.
