Dome
for 26 channel geodesic hemisphere • 2012
CONCEPT
A series of transparent geodesic ‘sound domes’ is presented. Each houses 26 speakers, attached to the 26 vertices of the structure, which are conceived collectively as a single sound-producing unit. These produce a complete and coherent sound field which surrounds the occupant (who sits within). These speaker configurations accommodate the detailed spatial construction of sonic images over the surfaces of the domes.
The perceived nature of each dome—its apparent material structure and its context—is determined by these sonic images. Listeners, shutting their eyes, may feel themselves to be contained within an enclosed structure, with rain pounding on the surface of what seems to be a corrugated iron ‘roof’, a roof that may then transform to become amorphous—composed of liquid that bubbles, trickles or gushes across the speaker-space before re-solidifying, receding, fragmenting and swirling around the listener. Or it may ultimately vanish altogether, presenting real-world sonic environments that are indistinguishable from the reality that exists beyond the dome. In this way, the listener’s ear is drawn outwards by the sonic narrative, extending beyond the dome into the already-there and inviting/encouraging a re-experiencing (or simply raising an awareness) of the existing sound environment.
Dome eventually evolved to become Beyond, a full geodesic sphere for multiple environments.