Fireside Resonance

Humans used to gather around the fire to tell stories – transferred to the hearths and stoves of the home – our stories move to televisions screens – cold, but we could still gather around them and share the experiences. Today that hearth has fragmented; we each have our own private source of light that pushes any sense of direct connection behind glass, lacking the warmth of both the hearth and of each other’s physical company. The technology that so often creates distraction, isolation, and stress gets removed from its usual individualistic context and turned into something that is instead an instrument of comfort and collaboration.

The performance has three components. The first part is FIRE, the torch bearers leave their devices in the centre, transformed into a hearth, and this creates a centre around which all gather. The program animates a fire, emitting crackling sounds.

The second part is the SHAKERS, which are programmed to interpret acceleration data from the phone and trigger gentle changes in the colour of the screen and a choice of several different synthesized percussion elements. Shakers can wear a shaker scarf, which secures the phone to the hand with soft elastic and features a train of delicate, fluttering fabric, encouraging elegant movement.

The third, the ORBS, also are programmed to change colours and sounds on tilt. The orb instruments were fabricated using lasercut cardboard for the base, the size and shape designed to be comfortable to hold. The round shape obscures the cold angles of the technology and suggests that they can be passed around. The orb windows were distressed in various ways to enhance the instruments’ lighting, and to cast a glow on to the participants faces. The orbs are covered in soft textured fabrics for a warm inviting feel, and decorated to make each one unique.

Orb sounds were chosen to offer calming harmonies and slow transitions between notes. Hammond Organ, voice like synthesized sounds and bell sounds were chosen for their calm, resonance. All sounds were taken from the C Maj. pentatonic scale so that no harsh harmonies would be produced through interactions between orb sounds.

The participants learned how to play and move together – if only for a moment. The experience is interrupted by a timer in each app which triggers the familiar ringtone sound, ending the experience and reminding everyone what the technology is usually used for.