Outcome

Intention

My project is a tangible translation of the common iPhone message notification sound, Note (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnhWCVAAAKw). I chose this sound because it is a sound which is familiar to many people, and it also is a sound which can mean many things. When people are waiting for a text, it could be good news, bad news, or pointless musings. The text for which this tone is the notification can make someone cry, smile, or think. The notification sound is something that could increase heart rate or cause dread. While its implications are very complex and unbound, the sound itself is very short, crisp, and simple. 

Product

What was the final representation. What did you create? What is it composed with (materials, shapes, forms)? Describe the textures, colors, etc.

The final representation was a form made of shiny golden pipe cleaners. It has a part which is sort of bulb-shaped and this slowly fades into a smaller more concentrated part. It is shiny and golden because that is what I think of when I hear the noise, which sounds almost bell-like. The sound starts out loudly then fades for quite a long time in comparison to the loud part. I tried to capture this pattern with the shape of the object. The texture isn't super smooth which I think goes against the quality of the sound, because it is made of pipe cleaners. However I like the golden color which I think suits the sound pretty well.

Approach

I approached this by first finding a sound. I didn't really know what to do, but during that process I heard this tone and thought that it was meaningful enough to use, but still brief and simple so that the object would not be overly complex. I drew inspiration mainly from the "Musical Buoy in Search Towards a New Shore" example in the brief. Although my analysis of the sound didn't mirror theirs, I like the idea of having a the same sort of quality, to make it out of smaller tubular objects. I chose pipe cleaners because they would be the easiest to mold and bend to the way I wanted them to look, and gold was a choice that related to the aesthetic quality of the object.

Reflection

I think it captured the content and aesthetics of the audio pretty well. It is not recognizable as the original sound unless told that it is. If I saw this object, I don't think I would think of the original sound right off the bat. But knowing that it is supposed to be a tangible translation of the sound, it makes sense to me. I would change the texture of the object - I don't really like the rough/hairy quality of the pipe cleaners, and think that something cleaner and smoother would fit the sound better. However I would stick with the shape I made it into.