Context

I knew I wanted to experiment with a technology I hadn’t gotten a chance to explore yet, and wanted to play with outputs that translated or represented past interactions. This lent itself to concepts around telepresence as ghostly or otherworldly presences “trapped” or “residing” within objects, ranging from enchanted (otherworldly, awe-inspiring, +) to possessed (unsettling, haunting, -). I drew initial inspiration from Durrell Bishop’s Marble Answering Machine concept, which explores the embodiment of voice messages and offers an interesting tangible alternative to familiar interaction sequences.

I wanted to experiment with RFID, which lent itself to the localization of disembodied sounds as outputs. Because I imagined this exhibit to be situated in an entryway or somewhat open setting, the design needed to account for perceived risk-taking or vulnerability during use. I’ve been inspired by classic horror tropes involving the idea of mysterious “voices in the walls” or haunted recordings/possessed objects. Since this was going to be situated in the Haunted Smart Home, I wondered what it might be like to imbue the house itself with some living presence. Initially, this took form in a Monster House-style concept, whereby the house itself is alive and sentient, with a specific agenda that is projected onto its inhabitants. In exploring the affordances of disembodied voices and sound as a hallmark of past events, work such as Daniella Petrelli’s FM Radio: Family Interplay with Sonic Mementos served as great reference. The final concept blends these precedents with common cultural references, such as using an overturned glass to eavesdrop and hear through walls.