As is typical with the first week of a new course, we spent our time doing introductions and learning the basics of what a heightened multi-sensory experience is.

Seeing the RMIT Capitol theatre and previous students' work was a great starting point to get the ball rolling with this semester's major project.

The project will require a lot of hands-on work and it may be useful to find another student with similar ideas to tackle it together. Uploading my student profile to canvas and browsing other people's portfolios will go a long way in finding a match and getting started with the assignment.

2) Research

• Academic

  
  

After seeing the RMIT Capitol, two words from the prompt sparked my creative interest. The first word is Uncanny. The definition of this word is ‘Strange or mysterious, especially in an unsettling way’. The second word that stood out to me was serene. The definition of this word is ‘Calm, peaceful and untroubled’.

Despite initially presenting as a juxtaposition, these two words work well together in creating a landscape of terrifying tranquility. The goal of mixing these words in the project would be to evoke a beautiful and unique emotion that humans don’t experience in their day to day lives.

• Creative practise

The unique emotion created by the mix of these two prompts is present in the phenomenon known as a liminal space. 

The definition of a liminal space is 'a transitional space often associated with a forlorn atmosphere, a disconnection from the concept of reality, and a fluid or sometimes neglected aesthetic. They are the waiting areas between one point in time and space and the next'.

Liminal spaces typically use dull colours and a washed out aesthetic. They can be calming (serene) and some people find them therapeutic. This is experienced as a somber comfort similarly to nostalgia. Others may find them horrifying and deeply disturbing (uncanny).

The most well known art piece relating to liminal spaces is 'The Backrooms', a video series created by Kane Pixels (Wallpaper image). The piece revolves around a place known as "The Backrooms", an online myth by the same name. I will be exploring this further next week.

• Technical

Technical research this week primarily revolved around colour, and how designers can manipulate it using temperature and optical illusions.

I plan on using these techniques in the Capitol project to establish environmental storytelling relating to liminal space. The implementation of dull, unsaturated colours will help convey the feeling of nostalgia and isolation found within liminal spaces.

Understanding light dramaturgy will be crucial in achieving success with the project, however it is a multi-faceted subject and will take some time to master. For this week, the goal will be to familiarise myself with the design principles (intensity, colour, angle, shape, movement, and scale). These are especially important with the RMIT Capitol medium as light is a major component of the experience, along with sound.

3) Progress

This week's project milestone was to find a partner. Upon looking at the student profiles, I decided to team up with Paul Adamic. Paul and I have similar ideas and have decided on a general outline of the project's structure.

We are yet to divvy up roles, however Paul and I have both downloaded Pharos and Reaper, the main software which will be used to bring our vision to life.

^{Definitions are sourced from dictionary.com except for 'liminal spaces', which was sourced from wikipedia.}

Progress was made on the major Capitol project this week, with the drafts nearly ready for on-site testing next Thursday. Paul and I have had multiple discussions on where we want to take the experience, and ultimately landed on a liminal space, office environment.

Some tasks completed this week include audio field recording, sound design, implementing lecture learnings into my creative process, and the continuation of Pharos software practise.

creating a state profile for the word 'uncanny' was done for assignment one this week, which will hopefully provide a platform for me to refer to throughout the Capitol project's development.

2) Research

• Academic

To create an effective uncanny soundtrack, having a full suite of liminal sounds at my disposal is crucial. As a baseline, ambient noise of air conditioning units provides a continuous background hum that can feel both familiar and unsettling (biophilic soundscapes - lifeproven.co.uk).

This ambience, combined with photocopier noises suggest activity without clear sources, adding to a sense of isolation and mystery.

Periods of unexpected quiet will be important in the soundtrack as the absence of expected noise can be just as uncanny as unusual sounds (office soundscape - workinmind.org).

• Creative practise

During the lecture this week, we explored the myth of objective. This concept explores the limitations of aiming for pure objectivity, and asks us to embrace creativity using untraditional methods.

Authors Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman, argue that the relentless pursuit of ambitious objectives often hinders true innovation and discovery. They suggest that great achievements are more likely to occur through serendipitous discovery and playful creativity rather than through narrowly focused efforts on predefined goals (Myth of objective data - MITpress).

I will use this technique in the drafting stage of our Pharos project, by playing around with different editing techniques and sound bites. The lack of objective will hopefully allow me full creative freedom, and result in something to be used in the final product. This includes distorting the recorded photocopier sounds with a multitude of different special effects.

• Technical

Having appropriate sounds for the project is important, but equally important are editing techniques to bring the liminal space to life. This can be achieved by distorting familiar sounds. Take common office sounds like typing, phone rings, or conversations and subtly alter them through pitch-shifting, time-stretching, or other audio effects. This makes them recognisable yet slightly "off" (uncanny - pubpub.org).

3) Progress

Week two's progress began with getting started on a draft for the Capitol project. I borrowed an H4N audio recorder and went out to get some sounds to play with in the Capitol soundtrack draft. The goal with this was to get some office sounds from around the RMIT campus, as this was the liminal space we decided would be most effective to portray. Some sounds I acquired include a photocopier, hallway ambience, light buzzing, footsteps and doors opening.

Once the sounds were in Reaper, I sourced additional audio from freesound.org to assist in developing a cohesive and uncanny soundtrack to be used in the Capitol testing. Once the soundtrack was complete, it was sent to Paul so we could both work on Pharos drafts.

Here is the link for the sound draft: Pharos testing.wav.

References:

Driving workplace performance with biophilic soundscapes. (2023). Lifeproven.co.uk. https://www.lifeproven.co.uk/podcast/biophilic-soundscapes-natures-blueprint-to-improve-indoor-sound

Team, C. (2020, April 15). The office soundscape: How to balance noise in the workplace? Work in Mind. https://workinmind.org/2020/04/15/the-office-soundscape-how-to-get-the-right-balance-of-noise-in-the-workplace/

Reader, T. M. P. (2023, April 17). The Myth of Objective Data. The MIT Press Reader. https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-objective-data/

Begüm Çelik, & Tuğrul Veli Şalcı. (2023b, August 29). Uncanny. AIMC 2023. https://aimc2023.pubpub.org/pub/pvs1g2z3/release/1

Thursday this week was Paul and I's first chance to test our Capitol project at the venue. With our two minute draft prepared, we played it in the Capitol theatre and took some notes regarding how we can improve the experience going forward. These learnings will be noted in the progress section of this weeks blog.

The main research takeaways this week related to how we can establish an office environment using only lighting and sound. Further field recording was then performed. This was done to ensure we have sufficient audio material to reach the full potential of the project's liminal office ambience.

2) Research

• Academic

For my assignment progress this week, I've been researching the psychological aspects of uncanny. They were explored by Sigmund Freud all the way back in 1919,

when he hypothesised that the uncanny stems from the return of something familiar that has been

repressed, like childhood memories.

• Creative Practise

  
  

Last week I focused on depicting how an office environment might sound, this week I aim to discover how an office might look in terms of colour and lighting. Research will be based on how 'The Backrooms' uses colour and lighting to create its unsettling office ambience.

The Backrooms are characterised by desaturated yellows and beiges, which create a pale and unsettling environment (Colourhex.com - 2022). These colours mimic the look of old, worn-out wallpaper and contribute to the feeling of being trapped.

In addition to colour, another component in designing the experience is using lighting techniques to bring the ambience to life. Using a monotonous hum of fluorescent lights, we can enhance the feeling of being trapped in an endless, monotonous space (archdaily - 2023).

• Technical

A crash course in Pharos software was required at the start of this week to have my draft ready for theatre testing. The guides on RMIT Canvas were a good start, but i found it more effective to teach myself how to use the software using trial and error.

The main roadblock I faced in this process was timing the lighting to fade out at the appropriate times to match the soundtrack, but the more I practised the easier it became. After a week of playing around with the software, I feel very confident in using it moving forward.

3) Progress

To effectively analyse the Capitol draft, we segmented the notes into two parts, Lighting and Audio.

As a student collective, we found the lighting was too bright for most of the drafts and ours was no exception. When simulating the design in Pharos software, it's easy to underestimate how bright the ceiling lights can be. This experience was a reminder to go with the 'less is more' philosophy.

As for audio, the piece needs a lot of work, as is expected with a first draft. The electrical buzzing sounds were too quiet for the theatre, and the slow pacing at the beginning of the design left the audience losing focus from boredom.

Over the next week, a restructuring of the design will be in order. This will include the experience beginning with bright lights and office sounds to set up the initial ambience, and then slowly fading into uncanniness.

References:

The Backrooms Color Palette. (2022). Color-Hex.com. https://www.color-hex.com/color-palette/110850

Why Are Liminal Spaces Eerie? The Case of The Backrooms. (2023, February 22). ArchDaily. https://www.archdaily.com/996668/why-are-liminal-spaces-eerie-the-case-of-the-backrooms

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This week was all about getting my project proposal ready for presenting. Because of this, most of the research I did was academic, rather than technical like the previous weeks have been.

I decided to have the presentation mostly images with limited information, to pair with a seperate document containing the information I will present. Using this technique, the audience will focus on what I am saying rather than reading a wall of text on the screen.

While progress on the project was limited this week, I created a Gantt timeline to help reach certain milestones within the semester. I will share this with Paul to ensure we are both on track to complete our sections of the project.

2) Research

• Academic

As the depiction of fog is a major component of the project's transitional phase, it is important I understand why & how fog is uncanny, to ensure it fits the project.

The first thing to consider is that fog alters our perception of environments, which creates a sense of disorientation and unfamiliarity (marquetteuniversity-fog). This distortion of our sensory inputs can make familiar places seem strange and unsettling, contributing to an uncanny atmosphere.

Fog also has the ability to transform ordinary landscapes into something otherworldly. As Carl Sandburg's poem "Fog" suggests, it can turn everyday scenes into something akin to a fairy tale, blurring the line between reality and fantasy (theintrinsicwriter-2013).

• Creative practise

Exploring other uncanny artworks for inspiration is vital to see how other artists are depicting the concept effectively. There was one in particular I discovered last week through assignment research, that has stuck with me in my pursuit to explore the uncanny. This piece is Brad Blackman’s Morning Fog painting from 2013 (Image of this week's blog).

Blackman often touches upon the feeling of awe and mystery in his work (bradblackman.com-2024), 'Morning fog' is different however, due to how he uses fog to transform the landscape using characteristics of the uncanny. I will employ this technique when shifting environments in the Capitol project, from bustling office space to a forlorn liminal atmosphere. The challenge of this will be creating a fog aesthetic, limited to sound and lighting. I will explore techniques I can use to achieve this in the technical research section below.

• Technical

The first technique I will use to depict fog is low-intensity lighting. This involves dimming the overall lighting throughout scene transition, to create a sense of limited visibility and mimic fog's obscuring effect (soundpro.com-2024). In addition to this, I will implement gentle white noise and wind-like sounds to simulate the muffling effect of fog.

The bustling office scene to start the piece will enter this fog-like transition and come out the other side as a liminal space. This will hopefully increase the feeling that something should be present that is not, and contribute to the forlorn atmosphere.

3) Progress

Most of my time spent this week was on the presentation. Despite this, progress on the project was still made. Specifically, I implemented our findings from the capitol test into the soundtrack iteration, such as the office environment at the beginning.

In addition to this, White noise has been added to the scene transition, a technique discovered though technical research. Paul and I are going back to the Capitol theatre next Thursday for further testing, so we plan to have the Pharos iteration completed by then.

References:

Quiet Morning Fog - Brad Blackman Fine Art. (2024). Bradblackman.com. https://bradblackman.com/morningfog/

Fog & Effects Lighting | Sound Productions. (2024). Soundpro.com. https://www.soundpro.com/fog-effects-lighting/

Glossary of the Gothic: Fog | Glossary of the Gothic | Marquette University. (n.d.). Epublications.marquette.edu. https://epublications.marquette.edu/gothic_fog/

Old School Sundays: Carl Sandburg’s “Fog.” (2013, June 9). Theintrinsicwriter; theintrinsicwriter. https://theintrinsicwriter.wordpress.com/2013/06/09/old-school-sundays-carl-sandburgs-fog/

Some major progress was made this week in the development of my heightened multi-sensory experience project. After testing my piece at the Capitol Theatre, Darrin and Nik provided valuable feedback. The piece started with uncanny office sounds and ambience, and slowly evolved into a music based soundtrack.

The feedback was essentially to keep the office ambience, as that worked well, and lose the musical component. The point of difference that made my work stand out was the uncanny atmosphere created by using atypical colour to match certain sounds like the photocopier. This forlorn atmosphere is on track to depict uncanny effectively, and the evolution into music only takes away from the piece.

The question that leaves me with now, is how can I make the full experience engaging and evolve over time without using music. I will explore this in the 'technical' and 'progress' sections of this weeks entry.

2) Research

• Academic

Exploring other works relating to an office environment that are not uncanny will be helpful to compare and contrast my piece. Zeichensaal by Thomas Demand (1996) is one such piece, representing a realistic scene of an office space. This artwork (found under this blog) achieves a forlorn and sterile atmosphere with no lifeforms, but it is not uncanny.

This is because of the gentle colour composition using natural light, and a soft pastel blue and green. The piece is also too realistic to be uncanny. We know that when artworks present places that are slightly unrealistic, it is associated with the uncanny valley effect, but if the environment seems mundane and lifelike it can create a more approachable experience for viewers (MacDorman, K. F., & Chattopadhyay, D. - 2016).

• Technical

In order to make the experience interesting without the use of music, I need to create an immersive experience in line with the narrative. Essentially the project needs to tell a story, evolving over time.

This can be done using dramatic sound effects, such as footsteps or a heartbeat to build tension and suspense in the story. These sounds signal impending danger and heighten the emotional stakes, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats (Winter, D. n.d.). As an example, I can use a sudden silence followed by a loud noise to create a startling effect that captures attention.

3) Progress

Progress on the project from here will involve deleting the second half of the piece, and going back to the drawing board. I will incorporate my findings through research and feedback to build upon the first portion of the experience that was well received.

This will primarily involve Reaper software to perfect the audio experience, before moving it into Pharos and implementing lighting changes.

References:

Tate. (n.d.). “Zeichensaal (Drafting Room)”, Thomas Demand, 1996. Tate. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/demand-zeichensaal-drafting-room-p11481

MacDorman, K. F., & Chattopadhyay, D. (2016). Reducing consistency in human realism increases the uncanny valley effect; increasing category uncertainty does not. Cognition, 146, 190–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2015.09.019

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Winter, D. (n.d.). Amplifying Stories: The Vital Role of Audio in Video Narratives. Lwks.com. https://lwks.com/blog/amplifying-stories-the-vital-role-of-audio-in-video-narratives

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The goal of week six was to establish a direction with Paul in regards to where we can take the project from here. We sat down on Thursday and relayed what felt like hundreds of ideas. Since the transitional music aspect of the piece had been thrown into the void, we were challenged to find some fresh and creative ways to evolve the experience.

Exploring the transitional aspect of the liminal space was crucial in reaching the outcome of our brainstorm session. We decided to show the passing of time by flooding the space. Instead of music being implemented into the experience approximately half way through, water droplets will now gradually creep into the soundscape.

These droplets will build gradually and unpredictably, before evolving into a steady stream of water rushing into the forlorn environment. After this water transition, the experience will be different

2) Research

• Academic

  
  

Rain serves as an effective transitional tool in multi-sensory experiences due to its ability to enhance environmental engagement (Cornelio, P., Velasco, C., & Obrist, M. - 2021).

The sound of rain can evoke feelings of nostalgia which contributes to the forlorn sensation of the uncanny. The tactile sensation of raindrops will ideally heighten awareness of the audiences surroundings and promote a deeper emotional connection to the Capitol experience.

This week was another Capitol testing session. It involved taking the refined piece of audio created in reaper from week six, and developing the Pharos session to go with it.

Once that was complete, the project was played in the Capitol theatre for further feedback. The youtube link for the 3 minute piece is attached above.

We are now approaching the pointy end of the semester and the deadline for this project is due in only a few weeks. Listening to feedback and incorporating it into the project is important now more than ever.

The audiences thoughts and feedback will be explored in the progress section of this blog.

2) Research

POOLS was released in April 2024 by developer Tensori. The game uses water to serve as a symbol that alters our perception of time within liminal spaces. POOLS takes place in a setting where swimming pools create a forlorn atmosphere of transition. These environments evoke feelings of nostalgia and the uncanny.

One way water influences time perception in Pools is through its ability to create suspension. When players engage with water, they often experience moments where time feels distorted. This temporal ambiguity emphasises the liminal quality of water, and depicts how it can be used to establish an uncanny feeling when used as a transitional tool in an experience.

• Technical

  
  

To create an experience that depicts water in a room, I can utilise spatial audio techniques such as reverb and echo. By incorporating reverb to the soundtrack after the water comes in, I can simulate acoustics of a large space, allowing sounds like dripping water to resonate as if they are echoing off cavernous walls.

This will enhance the audiences perception of depth and immersion, making them feel as though they are surrounded by a vast body of water, in a forlorn liminal environment. Research indicates that spatial audio can significantly enhance emotional engagement and perception of sound environments (Spatial Sound - SSI.n.d.).

Now that the water aspects have been implemented into the soundtrack, next week will involve designing how this updated experience looks in Pharos.

I have some early ideas, such as matching the dripping audio with the colour green to feed into the uncanny feeling I'm trying to depict. I will get a chance to test the project in the Capitol theatre next Thursday, so it has to be finalised by then.

References:

Cornelio, P., Velasco, C., & Obrist, M. (2021). Multisensory Integration as per Technological Advances: A Review. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.652611

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P_The Effects of Spatial Sound on Human Wellbeing — SSI. (n.d.). Spatialsoundinstitute.com. https://spatialsoundinstitute.com/P_The-Effects-of-Spatial-Sound-on-Human-Wellbeing

Post-transition in the piece, the liminal space will be filled with water. Flooded rooms can evoke unease within the audience, tapping into our psychological responses to altered familiar environments.

As Trigg (2012) notes, "The uncanny arises when the boundary between the familiar and unfamiliar becomes porous". The presence of water in a typically dry space such as an office represents a deviation from our expected patterns of indoor environments, feeding into the uncanny experience.

In addition to this, Oomen et al. (2021) found that spatial audio cues significantly impact our emotional engagement with environments. Effectively designing the sound of water in an indoor space may indicate potential danger. This is because water in unexpected places can trigger our innate threat detection systems.

• Technical

One of the challenges I face with the project is to make the water droplets appear uncanny using only lighting. The main technique used to achieve this is to make the water appear green. This technique will ideally create an otherworldly effect, as it deviates from the natural appearance of water. Research has shown that altering the colour of familiar objects can contribute to feelings of uncanniness (Grand Illusions - 2014).

Another technique I will use to achieve this is by implementing strobe lighting with the green lighting. The rapid, pulsating green light will create a disorienting effect, making the water droplets appear to move in an unnatural manner. This technique can enhance the uncanny feeling by distorting the perception of motion (Diel, A., & Lewis, M. - 2022).

3) Progress

The test was a success and overall the audience enjoyed the piece and found it related to the word uncanny. One piece of criticism related to a lighting choice at 1:34 in the video above. At this moment, two seperate audio cues play at the same time. The green light matches the rain drop, and yellow represents the phone. Because this happens simultaneously, its difficult to understand which sound matches which lighting element, leading to a disorienting experience.

To combat this issue, I will need to redesign the audio segment in reaper so that these two sounds don't overlap. It is crucial that the audience distinguish green as the dripping sound, as this is a major component of what makes the piece uncanny.

The transition from liminal office space to water-filled forlorn environment is almost complete. Now the project's focus will be on creating the post-transition environment effectively using lighting and sound. This was briefly touched on in week six's blog which explores how reverb can indicate there is water in a space. Progress from here involves discovering more techniques like this and implementing them into reaper, to begin designing the final sequence of the experience.

References:

Diel, A., & Lewis, M. (2022). Structural deviations drive an uncanny valley of physical places. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 82, 101844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101844

To Put Your Heart Into a White Deer - Uncanny Magazine. (2023, March 4). Uncanny Magazine. https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/to-put-your-heart-into-a-white-deer/

- YouTube. Grand illusions (2014). Youtu.be. https://youtu.be/i8sad03JAP0

• Academic

Old TVs are often associated with past memories which can invoke a sense of nostalgia, contributing to an uncanny sensation.

As I've explored previously on this blog, the uncanny effect is rooted in psychological responses to familiar objects presented in unfamiliar contexts. As viewers engage with stimuli representing an old tv such as static and vintage audio effects, they may experience a dissonance between their memories of these devices and their current viewing context. This will lead to feelings of unease or uncanniness (Smith, F., & Ironside, R. - 2022).

• Creative practise

Janek Schaefer's incorporation of old TVs into his soundscapes create experiences that may evoke a sense of the uncanny through the use of static noise and audio distortions.

His installation "The Sound of the Uncanny" uses old CRT televisions to display manipulated video alongside ambient soundscapes. This approach combines grainy visuals and audio characteristics of older TVs to evoke feelings of nostalgia while simultaneously unsettling audiences (Cooke, A. - 2020).

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1) Reflection

This week we went to the RMIT gallery as a class to look at the exhibition on display. While this was primarily a leisurely activity, it did give me a chance to see some uncanny artwork. This was a bonus given uncanny is the chosen state of LIMINAL.

Below are my three favourite pieces in the exhibition. I found that the first two have liminal qualities, as they could exist in a forlorn world. They evoke the eerie sense of isolation that is present in the multi-sensory experience I am designing.

I've been inspired to experiment with aspects of this art in LIMINAL, specifically the use of an old TV. This may be useful in concluding the experience in a satisfying way.

• Technical

In terms of implementing an old tv aesthetic into LIMINAL, there are a couple techniques I can employ to realise this.

The first is to utilise audio snippets of static noise from old televisions to layer into the audio environment. This can evoke feelings of unease and nostalgia, as static is often associated with outdated technology.

Next, I will use low-key lighting to create high contrast between light and the dark atmosphere in the Capitol. This is reminiscent of classic horror films often viewed on older TVs. Low-key lighting is effective in creating ominous atmospheres, as seen in noir films where shadows play a crucial role in storytelling (Hellerman, J. - 2023).

3) Progress

The primary progress of the project this week was to implement this static into the end of LIMINAL, with the goal to create a satisfying ending that adds nuance to the narrative.

Previous to this implementation, the second half of the piece felt uninspired and stale. It didn't add anything to the experience that the first half hadn't already done. With the static and additional low-key lighting to match, the piece has an extra layer of nostalgia attached which goes a long way into reaching the chosen state of uncanny.

References:

Smith, F., & Ironside, R. (2022). The uncanny place: A critical appraisal of popular paranormal TV shows. The Journal of Popular Television, 10(1), 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1386/jptv_00072_1

Cooke, A. (2020, July 8). Have You Ever Noticed How out of Focus a Lot of Old TV Shows Are? Fstoppers. https://fstoppers.com/originals/have-you-ever-noticed-how-out-focus-lot-old-tv-shows-are-498529

Hellerman, J. (2023, August 25). 13 Film Lighting Techniques Every Filmmaker Should Know. Nofilmschool.com. https://nofilmschool.com/lighting-techniques-in-film

The entirety of my time this week was spent on creating my work in progress presentation. This lead to progress on LIMINAL taking a back seat.

For the slides, I mapped out a structure of the experience which is attached below. This was not only helpful for the presentation, but also for designing the project. I will use this tool to refer back to and ensure each stage of the experience stays true to the narrative.

Going forward, I had to map out the remaining time in the semester to ensure the project is finished. This also meant leaving room to implement feedback from the remaining Capitol testing sessions. A Gantt chart was created to achieve this, which is attached below.

The goal of this week was to finish the soundscape and Pharos design before the open studio next week. The part I need feedback on the most is the second phase of the experience, so having that finished will be ideal to get the most out of the session.

The primary focus of iteration was designing a cavernous atmosphere for LIMINAL's second phase. Through sound design, I used sparkles to depict light reflecting off water, as well as distorted whale sounds to blend the aquatic space with a sense of isolation. This combination was effective in achieving a distinct feel that is seperate to the first phase, while still reaching the chosen state of uncanny.

In Pharos I employed a similar ideology to design the lighting aspect of phase two. The primary colour of the scene is deep blue with lighter shades sparkling in time with the soundtrack. I experimented with unique colour combinations to enforce the uncanny theme, such as purple for the whale sounds.

Multi-sensory experiences like LIMINAL are typically complex due to having various sensory stimuli. I created the narrative structure to simplify this complexity by providing a visual representation of how these elements come together and add to the experience over time.

Visual tools like timelines help condense complex information into understandable formats, making it easier to grasp how different components interact (Ezera, A. - 2023).

The reason I chose to use a Gantt chart when planning my timeline is because of their ability to provide a clear visual representation of all tasks involved in designing an experience. This allows me to see what needs to be done at a glance, and by what date. It is also beneficial when working with Paul, as he can see when each stage of the design will be completed.

I find it extremely useful having milestones and goals along the way which provide me a reason to stay motivated and plan each week accordingly. Milestones are essential for monitoring progress in complex projects; Gantt charts provide a clear way to visualise these key points along the timeline (Teamgantt - 2019).

3) Progress

As mentioned earlier, this week was spent working on the presentation hence no progress was made on the project. Looking forward to next week, the semester is nearing the end and the project should be nearing completion.

The goal for next week will be to finish the sound design aspect of the experience. This will allow me the week after to work on perfecting the Pharos display before submission, keeping in mind there will be another presentation to work on in that time frame, as well as the weekly blog.

References:

Ezera, A. (2023, July 26). Do this, not that: Timeline infographics. Infogram. https://infogram.com/blog/do-this-not-that-timeline-infographics/

Teamgantt. (2019). What is a Gantt Chart? Gantt Definitions & Uses | TeamGantt. Teamgantt. https://www.teamgantt.com/what-is-a-gantt-chart

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Overall, the open studio went well and I received some great feedback for the second half of the piece. The experience is visually pleasing and achieves the chosen state for the most part, however there is more I could do to fulfil the uncanny brief.

It was decided that introducing some unpredictability in the second half would be beneficial. This could involve using lighting that doesn't correspond to any audio cues. This transition will occur gradually; as the sound fades, the lighting will start to behave erratically, as if being drawn away from the experience. For instance, if the whale sounds cease, the lighting linked to those sounds will continue, blending into other sound-lighting interactions.

I will explore how this technique will contribute to reaching the chosen state of uncanny within the research portion of this blog.

2) Research

• Academic

Research suggests that different sensory modalities can influence one another, and contribute to the desired state of uncanny. When one sense (like sound) is removed while another (like light) persists, it can lead to disorientation where the brain struggles to relate the stimuli together. This phenomenon can amplify feelings of uncanniness as participants grapple with conflicting sensory information (Deroy, O., Chen, Y.-C., & Spence, C. - 2014).

The relationship between the two sensory modalities in LIMINAL will gradually fall apart, highlighting the transition between the first and second phases. This shift will create a sense of temporal dissonance in the second phase, enhancing the themes of isolation and nostalgia within the piece. The ambiguous perception of time will evoke feelings of nostalgia, as the environment seems both anchored in the past, yet set in the future after the second phase. This confusion further contributes to an uncanny atmosphere.

• Creative practise

There are many examples of horror films that use techniques to mismatch audio and lighting in order to heighten tension and evoke the uncanny. An example of this includes scenes that are brightly lit in moments of silence, contrasting with darker, quieter moments that might typically suggest danger or suspense. This dissonance can create an unsettling experience for the audience (THE UNCANNY ARCHIVE - 2024).

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• Creative practise

'MY WHALE' by Tundra is an audiovisual installation inspired by the 52-Hertz whale. This whale is known as the "loneliest whale in the world" due to its unique call frequency that no other whales can hear (Wearetundra.org - 2019).

'MY WHALE' has luminous hexagonal elements that react to the rhythm of whale sounds. This experience depicts solitude, showcasing how whale sounds and deep blues can be used to showcase the feeling of isolation.

• Technical

Taking inspiration from the 'MY WHALE' audiovisual experience, as well as further technical research, I've discovered a number of ways to create the sparkling cavernous atmosphere in the installation for phase two.

To create a sparkling quality to the soundtrack, I will enhance the high frequencies in the mix to bring out the sparkle without producing a harsh sound. Subtractive EQ can help manage problematic frequencies while allowing brighter elements to shine through (Mixing Monster - 2024).

In terms of lighting, I'll begin by introducing gentle movements in the lighting to simulate ripples, which add realism to the sparkling effect. In addition to this, multiple light sources will be combined with different intensities to depict sunlight filtering through the water (Earp, S. - 2024).

Now that the final draft is complete, I will await the feedback from next week's Capitol session to finalise the experience and prepare for submission. If all goes according to plan, there should not be too much to change with the sound design, and I can focus on perfecting the lighting display.

References:

MY WHALE. (2019). Wearetundra.org. https://wearetundra.org/my_whale

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Mixing Monster. (2024, February 4). Mixing High End Audio Frequencies | Get Sparkle & Air 2024. Mixing Monster. https://mixingmonster.com/mixing-high-end/

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Earp, S. (2024, July 22). How to Create Sparkling Water Effects in Landscape Paintings - Samuel Earp. Samuel Earp. https://samuelearp.com/blog/how-to-create-sparkling-water-effects-in-landscape-paintings/

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A similar technique to mismatching lighting and audio is known as the McCandless method. This involves the implementation of different coloured temperatures (e.g., warm and cool) to create visual dissonance. combining warm and cool lighting affects shadows dramatically, enhancing the uncanny effect (WebFX - 2022).

I could use this in the Capitol theatre by having one side of the environment use primarily warm lighting from the electrical buzzing, and the other a cool blue from the ocean soundscape.

3) Progress

I chose to incorporate the new technique by reintroducing the green raindrops from the first half of the experience in the second phase, but this time without corresponding audio cues. By this stage, the audience will have formed an association between these two stimuli, heightening the uncanny effect when the lighting appears disconnected from its expected sound.

LIMINAL is now complete. The heightened multi-sensory experience designed for the Capitol theatre is ready for presenting next week.

I will record the presentation of the final experience and upload it to youtube, attaching it to this blog.

References:

Deroy, O., Chen, Y.-C., & Spence, C. (2014). Multisensory constraints on awareness. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 369(1641), 20130207. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2013.0207

The Uncanny Archive: Uncanny Art, Photography, Poetry, and Film. (2024). THE UNCANNY ARCHIVE. https://uncannyarchive.com/

WebFX. (2022, June 3). McCandless Stage Lighting Method. Illuminated Integration. https://illuminated-integration.com/blog/mccandless-method-stage-lighting/

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The final product will be uploaded here.