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Friday, October 5, 2007

Ladies and Gentlemen: Audio Graffiti

posted by on October 5 at 17:26 PM

His name is Michael Dory and he’s filling New York City with the sounds of digital crickets.

Graffiti is… nearly always visual in nature, making this experience one-dimensional. Furthermore, rarely does the work have a brain of its own, and is usually incapable of reacting to anybody observing it.

The crickets are…

… small devices that will be aware of passers-by as well as other units of their kind. Each unit consists of a sound generator, amp, speaker and sensory system, and is housed in camouflage appropriate to the streets of the city — soda cans, cigarette packs, and the like.

473249636_e64546ff5f.jpg

When approached, the crickets fall silent (as would crickets and cicadas in nature). Each are sensitive to what happens to the others, and the end result will be waves of songs, changing and adapting to their surroundings.

This idea sounds great, for now. But imagine what it’ll be like once the taggers start their turf wars…

RSS icon Comments

1

Yeah, put a bunch of these little battery-operated devices around... BOSTON! Get hauled into court for being an EVIL DOER. Man, this country is fucked.

Posted by Aqua Teen | October 5, 2007 6:14 PM
2

Oh man. Crickets are one of man kind's only natural enemies. If I lived there I would take great joy in finding those things and smashing them. They can't get away from me like the real little bastards can.

Posted by jim | October 5, 2007 8:24 PM
3

I wonder if I could rig something to replace the chirping sounds with shouted random expletives?

Oh what a glorious song that art would sing then.

Posted by packratt | October 5, 2007 8:46 PM
4

looks like a hoax device to me... OFF TO GITMO WITH YOU! AL-KADER SCUM!

Posted by seattle98104@gmail.com | October 5, 2007 10:26 PM
5

Cool!

Posted by Amelia | October 5, 2007 11:36 PM
6

Finally some art that isn't "ooh lookit the stacked boxes, isn't it thought provoking" style bullshit. Pretty damn cool idea that actually required some effort. Though I bet people would go around snatching these things off the roads...I would. Is that a damn camera in the soda can?

Posted by arandomdude | October 6, 2007 1:18 AM
7

Oh yes, this is absolutely the next tagging, just as soon as your average drugs-addled skate-baording enthusiast can afford "a sound generator, amp, speaker and sensory system" for every tag, instead of paying, what, $4.95 for 40 territory-emblems, if we're looking at the current premium end of that me-marking media.

Thank heavens for market forces, that's all I have to say about that.

Posted by robotslave | October 6, 2007 3:22 AM
8

this comment thread is closed.

Posted by Paulus | October 6, 2007 4:16 AM
9

Closed?

Will it be open for lunch?

Posted by robotslave | October 6, 2007 12:04 PM
10

Yeah, this is going to end well.

Evacuations, anyone?

Posted by Big_K | October 6, 2007 12:14 PM
11

The two dailies in New York, Metro and AM New York, are always running articles about how NYC is losing its soul and becoming a city just for the rich. But something ingenious and cool like this guy's art makes me think New York will be just fine. Seattle's awesome too.

Posted by Bronx Mick | October 6, 2007 12:56 PM
12

My mind is blown.

Posted by Jessica | October 6, 2007 4:27 PM
13

Great, litter as art. I can't wait for the dogshit-on-the-sidewalks installation piece.

Posted by Roger Williams | October 7, 2007 11:19 PM
14

Why is it "ok" for The Stranger to incite racial hatred, but only for SOME people?

Find out the REAL truth!

http://latvianamericanpride.blogspot.com/

Posted by Darren D. Misklashuvacis | October 8, 2007 3:02 AM
15

Google is my favorite search engine!

Posted by Nik Potaper | October 16, 2007 1:58 AM
16

Focused by keeping the credit card line weight is as important to warrant.

Posted by Margaret R. Lim | October 17, 2007 11:47 AM

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