Jinhee and I did our “Creating Presence” experiment in Washington Square Park. We had both separately considered that sound was a good way to create presence (especially with a modest budget for time). After some discussion thought that sensory deprivation can help in boosting the sensitivity of other senses, and that this could be used as a tool in creating “presence” in a user.
“Close Your Eyes”
Using a headphone splitter, we were able to create a little guided audio tour using two headphones, two microphones (one for the speech, one for the listening to ambient noises), and the Zoom to record everything while also being the amplifier for the tour guide and tourist.
The idea was for the tour guide to give a “blind” audio tour of Washington Square Park. The tourist, closing their eyes and being lead by the tour guide, holds a shotgun mic in order to hear directionally around them.
The tour lasted approximately ten minutes. You are invited to close your eyes and listen to a short historical tour of Washington Square Park.
Direct download the mp3 here.