superpose – A connected experience of sound and space
superpose is an immersive installation that transforms a space into a living canvas where sound and space intertwine. As you enter, sound waves—usually unseen—become tangible, visible in the water and resonating in the air. Your presence and movement ripple the water’s surface, creating sound waves that diffuse into the space, constantly shifting, always alive, like the ocean.
Water’s undulating surface mirrors the invisible vibrations of sound. Waves rise and fall, tracing patterns in light and shadow, while sound subtly changes with every movement. The atmosphere is delicate yet dynamic, allowing you to sense sound’s physicality as it reverberates around you. Water and sound connect your body to the room’s architecture in surprising ways.
This is a living dialogue between you and the environment. As you move, you shape the space, and in turn, it shapes you. Sound, mediated by water, becomes more than something you hear—it becomes a visible, tangible presence that deepens your connection to your environment. You are reminded that sound is not just heard but felt, seen, and experienced.
The more you move, the more turbulent the waves in the water become, and the more dynamic the sound grows. This interplay is a metaphor, visualising on a small scale what happens in the ocean constantly. It merges art and science to reflect on the impact of human presence on the environment.
superpose invites reflection: Do you need to understand how sound waves propagate to appreciate their impact? Or is it enough to experience the invisible made visible, immersing yourself in the delicate balance of sound, space, and water? This installation is an experiential convergence of the unseen and seen, where the boundaries between perception and experience blur.
The installation was shown in the public lobby of the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, USA, from August 8th to 19th, 2021.
And exhibited at MIT's Wiesner Student Art Gallery from September 7th until October 6th 2021.
Funded in part by the Council for the Arts at MIT.
superpose reframes the relationship between sound and space by focusing on the spatial qualities of sound to create the illusion of dynamically changing space without altering the physical properties of the built environment.
How superpose was made:
making-of (7:34 min, no sound) – Above: A collection of timelapse videos that document different steps in the creation of the superpose installation. Almost every part of the installation has been manufactured, assembled, and tested at the MIT Media Lab. From electronics to large-scale woodworking, all aspects of the installation were built in June and August of 2021.
custom wave dipper tips made from liquid photopolymer resin
custom electronics and wave exciters
building step of the outer shell
superpose control software - tracking waves and analysing their strength and direction to drive the spatialisation, intensity and mix for five components of the installations sound.