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SOUND-

RELAXATION-

STRESS

Stress is a nearly universal human experience, regardless of age, sex, ethnicity and religion, no one is immune to the burdens of stress. Therefore, I intend to design an interactive audio experience that encourages social and emotional bonds to help reduce the participant's stress level.

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People who tend to experience particularly high rates of stress include:

Ethnic minorities

Women

Single parents

People responsible for their family’s health care decisions

student

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The sound-interactive installation creates sound pieces with noises by joining noises as each participant enters the designed area.
Changes in volume guide the participants to gather in the centre area.
Once two or more participants join the centre area, the noises gradually transfer into a calm and peaceful composition of sounds from nature and ASMRs.

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Movement:
moving towards or further from the centre area
Staying inside the centre area

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Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia and may overlap with frisson.

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Some people find experiencing ASMR helps relieve negative mood symptoms, including feelings of depression or stress. It also appears to help reduce chronic pain for some people. Listening to ASMR can slow heart rate, leading to a state of relaxation and calm. Study authors noted that many viewers also report an increased sense of connection with others, which can have a positive impact on general well-being.

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“Depending on your sensitivity and receptivity, the ASMR experience is said to provide a sense of calm and well-being,” explains Sadie Bingham, a clinical social worker who specializes in anxiety and provides therapy in Gig Harbor, Washington.

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0:00 / 1:02:58•Watch full video

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ASMR for People Who Get Bored Easily | 60 Triggers in 60 Minutes (No Talking)

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I am hoping to invite as many participants as possible, therefore, choosing the location is very crucial. After the research and site visit, I decided to set the installation at the intersection of Bourke St and Elizabeth St. I chose this place because there are a lot of tram stations nearby, and the location is busy and full of people no matter day or night.

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The location is crowded no matter day or night

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The installation can be placed in anywhere to help more people

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NOISES:
-Alarm
-Traffic

NATURAL SOUNDS:
-Ocean
-Forest
-Rain

ASMR

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unwind and relax

feel comforted or cared for

experience less anxiety or pain

feel better when sick or upset

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Releasing stress through the power of sound

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Releasing stress through the power of sound

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Music can have a profound effect on both the emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and concentrate better. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management.

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Current findings indicate that music around 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronise with the beat causing alpha brainwaves. This alpha brainwave is what is present when we are relaxed and conscious. Researchers at Stanford University have said that "listening to music seems to be able to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication." They noted that music is something that almost anybody can access and makes it an easy stress reduction tool.

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The sounds in this video are carefully arranged harmonies, rhythms, and bass lines that help slow a listener's heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and lower levels of the cortisol stress hormone.

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Marconi Union - Weightless (Official Video)

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In this interactive installation, the device senses varying degrees of electrostatic contact according to the proximity of people’s bodies. It encourages touch and people coming together to create a new soundscape for the moment.

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Urban Lights Contacts - oeuvre interactive - Scenocosme : Gregory Lasserre & Anais met den Ancxt

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Teamlab designs many projects and exhibitions that involve interactive sound and digital arts. I've been to many of their exhibition and I like how they combine visual and sound to guide and encourage body movement.

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teamLab 未來遊樂園＆與花共生的動物們 台北搶先看

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The design of my installation was inspired by the zen philosophy

Zen emphasizes rigorous self-restraint, meditation-practice, insight into the nature of mind

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demonstrating the installation in the location

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Once the sensor captures the participant steps into the designed area, noise composition will start playing.

When the sensor captures the movement of getting closer to the centre circle, the volume will gradually turn silent and into peaceful and calming audio to help the participant reduce stress level.

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computer, speakers, sensor

The equipment includes kinetic sensor that senses people’s movement

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This is the sensor I am going to use for my design. It can senses and analyse body movement.

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Rubbing glass

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Pressing plastic bag

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Beep alarm

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pressing key board

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Toilet paper

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shaking slime

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waves

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Rains

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Hitting bowl

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Rolling beans

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Sweeping floor

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People chats

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hitting steel tube with my nails

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Hitting a pot

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Cards

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opening a door

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Command+E                Un/lock

Command+1                 Object
Shift+Command+L       Clear the window

bng                                Click to play(switch(bang

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Metro

t b b  right to left

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Creating sound in Pd & Controlling the frequency

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Making and Seeing Sound in Pure Data

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Noise1

Collecting sounds in the office

The main sound keyboard typing changes in pitch and speed to suggests the emotion changes and pressure from work

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Noise2

The stress of getting closer to the deadlines

the sound of swallowing water suggest the nervousness

changing the pitch and speed of hitting the steel suggests breaking confidence

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Noise3

noises that were often heard in my house

adding reverb and control of wetness suggest the feeling of noises looping disturb in my head

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Noise4

I recorded a group of girls chatting and laughing

Changing the pitch and speed to represent stress from the relationships

The delay and reverb suggests worries of other people’s opinion in our mind

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- adding reverb to the recording of hitting a cooking pot to achieve a sound like hitting a bell

- changing the pitch and adding reverb make the recording of hitting a bowl sound like hitting the Triangle (musical instrument)

- Setting the sounds at 60 beats per minute can cause the brain to synchronise with the beat causing brainwaves is what is present when we are relaxed and conscious.

- using the sounds to change brain functioning to the same extent as medication.

- Rain sounds in the background is a rhythmic ticking sound, which sounds like a wonderful lullaby that can help people fall asleep quickly.

- Studies have found that when rain sounds enter people’s brains, the brain unconsciously relaxes and produces alpha waves, which are very close to the state of the brain when a human sleeps.

- The rain sound is generally between 0 and 20 kHz. It is not upsetting. On the contrary, this sound makes people comfortable.

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The first participant step inside the area triggers the sensor and the audio(noise) starts.

Each participant joins a new noise joins(4 sound pieces randomly assigned to each participant.

When the participants walk closer to the middle, the volume becomes lower.

When two or more people join in the centre area, the sound turns into the final sound piece(calm and relaxing).

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I learned to create if expression in pure data, so when the noises reached 0, the program automatically plays the final sound piece

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demonstrate a simulation of your interactive system in pure data

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0:00 / 4:18•Watch full video

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This is my second sound design project, with the knowledge and skills of Reaper that I learned in the previous assignment. It has become easier when I edit the sounds. My research suggests that music can have a profound effect on both emotions and the body. Faster music can make you feel more alert and stressed. Upbeat music can make you feel more optimistic and positive about life. A slower tempo can peace your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management, therefore, I decided to create a project using sound to help people's health.

In this project, we were allowed to use both self-recorded sounds and downloaded free sounds. In the beginning, I tried to record all the sounds by myself and use the reaper to achieve the result that I was looking for. Although most of the sound compositions went well, the sound of rain didn't work out as I imagined. Because of the noise and traffic in the background, I couldn't create a quiet and calming raining sound. Therefore, I decided to use the copyright-free sound and select the rain sound for editing in Reaper.

Alongside sound designing, I learned how to use Pure Data to design programs for interactive sound installation. In the beginning, it was confusing to learn new software that I have never heard of. After following the tutorials online, I found that I am also interested in programming. It is very satisfying when the program I design works successfully.

In conclusion, this semester I learned to design things in different media, using sound and programming to create a piece of work similar to drawing for an interior design project. Compare to the previous project, I feel that this is more successful because I did more research about the sound pieces I am designing. Manipulate the sound recordings using what I learned to achieve changes in the feelings of the partitioner. I am happy that I have grown a new interest in sound design and I am looking forward to using the skills I learned in my future interior design project.