Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie by Responsive Spaces

Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie by Responsive Spaces is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Brons in Interactieve, Ervaringsgerichte en Immersieve Ontwerpinstallaties Competition Category.

BronsInstallatie· 2023

Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie

by Responsive Spaces

Client: Welser Profile

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Installatie Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #147550

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The Design

About Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie

Welser Profile is een wereldwijde leverancier van staalprofielen. Het bedrijf was op zoek naar een interactieve merkbeleving voor zijn bezoekerscentrum. In ruim 13 generaties groeide Welser Profile uit tot een wereldleider in de branche. Daarom was het volkomen logisch dat Responsive Spaces voortbouwde op de kern van dit succesverhaal en het product de held liet zijn. Er werden echte klantproducten gebruikt om een stalen orgel te bouwen, dat esthetisch verwijst naar traditie en reageert op elke menselijke aanraking door een glimp te bieden van de onderliggende magie door het creëren van mystieke soundscapes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Brons, een hoogst prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan uitstekende ontwerpen die zich onderscheiden door creativiteit, vindingrijkheid en scherpzinnigheid. Winnaars in Brons zijn ruimschoots vaardige en opvallend creatieve artefacten die de grote ervaring, verbeelding en het vernuft van hun ontwerpers bevestigen. Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie wordt verwacht een hooggewaardeerd, bewonderd en gekoesterd object te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Brons heeft gewonnen, verwerkt de beste praktijken in kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie en is uitstekend door zijn aandacht voor detail. Sounds of Welser Interactieve Installatie bevredigt schitterend behoeften, raakt verlangens, charmeert gevoelens en spreekt de nieuwsgierigheid aan.

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)