Distractions is a kinetic sculpture that brings together sonification and visualization in a single physical artifact. It utilizes inaudible frequencies to visualize invisible electromagnetic signals, such as those from cellphone, Wi-Fi and radio communications, that surround us in daily life. This way, the piece highlights some of our routine sources of distraction in their raw forms. By picking up the electromagnetic signals in the exhibition space, the sculpture visualizes the signals to and from the mobile devices that are brought into this space by the visitors. The sub frequency vibrations, which oscillate the structure according to these intentional or unintentional communications, not only represent the distractions the artist faces on a regular basis, but also intercept the dialogue between the audience and the inert steady state of the sculpture. The piece therefore interacts with the audience through the distractions that draw them away from the experience of the artwork.

Author Keywords: Kinetic sculpture; sonification; depth image; radio frequency data; visualization; CNC

ACM Classification Keywords: H.5.1 [Information interfaces and presentation (e.g., HCI)]: Multimedia Information Systems

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Camci, A., Distractions: Interactive Visualizations on a Kinetic Sculpture Using Infrasound Vibrations, CHI EA '16 Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Santa Clara, CA, ACM 978-1-4503-4082-3/16/05, pp. 3827-3830, May 7th, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2851581.2891104