MARIO ALCANTARA

 

SOUND DEVICE

 

As an introductory project I was given a brief where I had to pick a site on the conserved area of Valley Gardens, in Brighton and create a device which would reveal something about the site. The project was based on 3 main approaches, ecological, economical and cultural. I decided to focus on the ecological and cultural sides. I've looked at the Elm tree which is a main protected specie based on the site and decided to create a device which connects the users of the The Level and makes the ecology noticeable with sound.  The device produces a sound from the natural movement of the tree it is attached to, just like a violin. An external string rubs on to the device's strings and produces the "sound of nature" every time the tree moves.  It also contains a net attached to it and to a tree, which collects the falling leaves, creating a temporary roof and space for gathering and activities. The end result is an "instrument" that allows the users of The Level to experience the site in a new way, as well as making the "unnoticed" ecology visible to the public, by working as a recording device for the nature processes.

 

SYNESTHESIA SPACE’

 

The project was developed during my second year of the course. I was very passionate to combine two of my personal passions (sound and design) into one poetical Architecture project, but the project didn’t reach it’s potential back then, so I decided to do a “makeover” with the post-production and displaying skills i’ve developed since then.

 

Design and Concept:

The project consists on a parasite structure, linked and attached to the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, UK. After researching about the area, I decided to create this building which would add a new public/culture space to the city,restore an important heritage as well as ‘reviving’ the tourist activity in the Pavilion. My main interest was about how a certain sound can place us on a certain place, space or moment, creating a synesthesia. The building works as a small sound gallery, composed by four(4) small showrooms which contain a specific sound installation that produces the specific sound of a specific space(and respective activities) in the Pavillion (kitchens, living room, dining room etc), as a throwback experience to the King George's great banquets. Guest can navigate around the main room which contains these smaller spaces,  and observe historical art/information about the Royal Pavilion and specially, live the full ‘pavilion sound experience’, by standing on at the centre of the gallery, listening to every single sound.Another element of the project is the  (re)-activation or the (re)-alert of the guest’s senses by playing with contrasting elements such as dark and light spaces, quiet and noisy spaces, old and new spaces.

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 ambient no.1 - A walk through the gallery

 

This track recreates the sound experience of a visitor inside the gallery. It consists of a junction of sound elements and events from the great kitchens, the banqueting room, the saloon and the music room during one of the great banquets organized by King George IV. The navigation through the space and different rooms allow the visitors to understand and actually feel how these events were, and ultimately, re-locate themselves to that  specific time, moment and space.