What is an echo chamber? (literal)

The echo chamber seeks to exist with its reflections (reverberations) and delays. Monophonic sounds (vocals) are reflected continuously, within a temporal space. Space therefore exists, as a physically static being, yet inherently unique. No space nor chamber are alike. Alluding towards the quality that a sonic experience in an echo chamber possesses qualities that make it spatially special. 

Metaphorical (sociological/new media)     

Echo Chamber alludes to the human nature of ideological conformity through means of interaction. We seek what we wish to confirm. Confirmation bias aids to relieve anxiety but also deny possible beings of alternate realities. Individuals in echo chambers ‘mimic’ out one another — to reassert what they believe is true and only their truth.  These ‘chambers’ are therefore metaphysical spaces where idealogical biases exist within and seethe.

Interstices

a liminal space we don’t hear explores the interstices of the psychological gap to which we as human beings, behave and consequently form social structures within it.. The concept of an echo chamber arrows down towards the notion of the unconscious interaction, the confirmation bias. Is it, therefore, normal to find justifications to our own means, and to our own ends?

By understanding the way in which our own unconscious have ultimately led to the creation of such chambers, we realize that these spaces are, somehow interstices too. Not only are these symbolic to the gaps of our imperfect human being but also spaces that are not literal. And thus by this definition, echo chambers are interstitial spaces made subconsciously. Even if, the truth is a reconstructed image of their own truth. Interstices in this respect, draws back to the meta-understanding that an echo chamber, is in a way, a voluntary act of participating in the cohabitation of your own gaps, subconsciously. An interstitial space thus symbolizes the gap between truth and false.

Being a rather site-specific installation, the concept carries itself as not being limited to the confines of a single space. The setup is visualized to be modular — to provide an experience both sonically and visually, site-specific. The concept, as it is sustained inasmuch as space it can be afforded to exist in. Ideally, spaces that are not used/abandoned/small/large/raw/brutalist are appealing locations. Drawing back to the idea of interstices, I intend this project to be launched in more lo-fi locations — places you would never expect to have a drop of life; the interstices.

Concept

Using the notion of reverberations and delays that exist in a literal echo chamber, the liminal space we don’t hear surveys the metaphorical concept of an echo chamber vis-a-vis the recreation of the sonic experience of an echo chamber. A liminal space is a gap in which we as human beings behave, interstices of an unconscious interaction. Participants are encouraged to explore the space and interrogate how movement inflects their looped speech. Movement in this aspect references directly to the act of finding information, the pursuit of reconfirming your biases.

Basic Walkthrough

a liminal space we don’t hear observes the way we unconsciously pursue spaces that reconfirms our own biases — echo chambers. The interactive element attempts to be both sonically and visually interesting. A mic will be set up for participants to input their speech into it. The speech will be replayed through a buffer and run through a reverb+echo (to mimic continuous talking in an echo chamber). Participants are encouraged to walk all over the space. In this space itself, floor mics or contact mics will be placed all over the space to pick up the audio of the footsteps and then used to alter the recorded speech continuously.

Ideally, there would be a few speech mics and a multi-participatory interaction can occur. Whereby if this exists, layers of multi-person speeches will reverberate into space. As each speech can be modulated as long as a participant moves all over the space, a new sonic experience can be heard.

 

Input: participant’s speech (mic)

Modulation: movement 

Output: altered/distorted speech, echoing