INTERIOR DESIGN STUDIO 2008

SOUND + VISION

ross mcleod and bruce mowson

The studio asked students to research, record, map and document an iconic space within Melbourne's CBD that would be then be transformed through the careful manipulation of the mediums of light and sound.

The project was to be thought of as a proposal for of one of the many planned ‘urban transformations’ that would take place as part of the 2010 Melbourne Festival of Design. To this end the students designed a spatial event that will take place at the site from the hours of twilight (5 to 9 pm) for one week. In doing this they needed to address the temporal/ time based dimension of the design and how their installation would change the space minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day.

In concert with the development of the proposal the students were asked to produce one or a series of experimental projects into the conjunctive use of light and sound that would help in the understanding of the dynamics of the design. These experimental/ sculptural pieces were produced at one to one scale and attempted to engage in sound and light technologies in a sophisticated way. Through these devices the students attempted to expose, the principles and affects that the design would create.

The presentation of the proposal used light and sound systems to communicate the design intervention and simulate the visual and aural qualities inherent within it. The design needed to consider the dynamics of the selected architectural space and how sound and light could expose the context, history, condition and issues of the site, evoking moods and emotions and creating a new reading of the space.

For detailed descriptions of the projects and samples of the soundscapes go to the

sound + vision website