Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva by Responsive Spaces

Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva by Responsive Spaces is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award de Bronce in Deseño de Instalacións Interactivas, Experienciais e Inmersivas Competition Category.

BronceInstalación· 2023

Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva

by Responsive Spaces

Client: Welser Profile

A' Design Award de Bronce Winner in Instalación Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #147550

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The Design

About Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva

Welser Profile é un provedor global de perfís de aceiro. A empresa buscaba unha experiencia de marca interactiva para o seu centro de visitantes. Máis de 13 xeracións, Welser Profile converteuse nun líder mundial na industria. Polo tanto, tiña todo o sentido que Responsive Spaces construíse sobre o núcleo desta historia de éxito e deixase que o produto fose o heroe. Os produtos de clientes reais utilizáronse para construír un órgano de aceiro, que insinúa estéticamente a tradición e reacciona a cada toque humano ofrecendo unha visión da maxia subxacente mediante a creación de paisaxes sonoras místicas.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronce

Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva gañou o A' Design Award de Bronce, un recoñecemento altamente prestixioso outorgado a deseños sobresaíntes que se distinguen pola creatividade, o enxeño e a sagacidade. Os gañadores Bronce son artefactos amplamente hábiles e sorprendentemente creativos que autentican a vasta experiencia, imaxinación e enxeño dos seus deseñadores. Espérase que Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva sexa un obxecto moi apreciado, admirado e querido, notablemente profesional e innovador. Este deseño gañador do A' Design Award de Bronce incorpora as mellores prácticas da arte, a ciencia, o deseño e a tecnoloxía, e é excelente pola súa atención ao detalle. Sounds of Welser A Instalación Interactiva satisfai espléndidamente as necesidades, toca os desexos, encanta os sentimentos e atrae a curiosidade.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: While The design of the installation resembles an organ, it is far more technical, with sophisticated capacitive sensors that respond to touch and a dynamic sound engine that changes its sets of instruments every other minute.
One of the unique features of the installation is the way in which the technology is hidden, allowing visitors to focus on the tactile and sonic experience of interacting with the steel profiles. The capacitive sensors allowing for a precise and intuitive interaction with the product, while the dynamic sound engine creates a constantly changing soundscape that is unique and engaging.
Dimensions & Packaging: Dimensions: Width 4000 mm x Depth max. 1000 mm x Height max. 3400 mm
Tags: interactive installation, sound installation, organ, soundscapes, touch installation
Production Technology: Developing the organ required a combination of advanced production technology and carefully selected materials. Hidden from the users, there are a PC, 2 speakers and a microcontroller. Capacitive sensors for each steel profile are triggered by touch through the change of its resistance. The profiles are electrically conductive but are insulated by a wooden base, which allows for safe and distinguishable interaction with them. 18 profiles result in 9 tones and two different octaves on each side.
Design Challenge: An alloy coating was applied to each profile to prevent flash rusting and ensure durability. However, this presented a challenge as the alloy negatively impacted the profiles' electrical conductivity. Different alloys were meticulously tested until the best solution was found. The calibration of the sensors had to be consistent across all 18 profiles, which presented an additional challenge. The developed sensor system demanded attention to detail and a lot of testing under various conditions.
Research: Through a process of exploration and experimentation, an idea was settled upon for an interactive installation featuring an organ made entirely of real customer steel profiles from Welser Profile. Visitors would be able to touch the profiles to create various sounds.To bring the idea to fruition, prototypes were tested using various materials and production techniques. The result is an installation that combines advanced production technology with carefully selected materials and an intuitive design to create a truly immersive experience for visitors.
Inspiration: As a global provider of steel profiles, Welser Profile was looking for an interactive brand experience for its visitor center. "The product is the hero" was the core idea of this installation. The history of Welser is a ongoing success story, which building upon made perfect sense. Real products were used to build this steel organ, which aesthetically hints towards tradition and reacts to every human touch by offering a glimpse of the underlying magic through creation of mystical soundscapes.
Project Duration: The project launched in September 2021 in Gresten, Lower Austria in the Headquarter of Welser Profile and will be a permanent interactive installation.
Operation Flow: The organ installation is an interactive experience that allows visitors to explore and create sounds by touching real steel profiles. The sounds produced by the installation are constantly changing, and visitors can experiment with different combinations of touches to create their own unique soundscapes.
Team Members: Steel Organ Design, 3D & Development: Julian Reil
Image Credits: Photos / 3D Sketches / Sound: Julian Reil
Video: Isabella Rogl (das narrativ), Manuel Bauer (das narrativ)