Explorator chipper Installations
Overview
This page covers the in-situ Hyper-Soundwalk installations realised using the Explorator chipper soundscape augmentation artefact. information concerning the Explorator chipper artefact's hardware and physical design are discussed on this page: HERE
Artefact Behaviour
Chipper’s role within its Hyper-Soundwalk Series installation scenario is to act as
a mechatronic creature that interacts with the in-situ natural environment as a
biologically-inspired sonic actor. In this manner, Chipper provides placed sounds
for walkers to discover similar to the soundwalks of Christina Kubisch, Teri Rueb,
and Mark Shepard but leverages mechatronic sonic actors. The
artefact directs attention to the in-situ sonic environment through use of its noncochlear
visual feedback system and by only vocalising during periods of calm and
quiet to provide space for listening to in-situ sonic actors.
In realising this use-case, Chipper leverages most of Chirper’s firmware routines
and therefore focuses on developing operating logic for its vocalisation mechanism.
As Chipper is designed as a mechatronic-based soundscape augmentation artefact
inspired by the pileated woodpecker’s vocalisations, the artefact’s vocalisation timing
and quality are modelled after this bird’s behaviour. To this end, the common
properties of pileated woodpecker pecking sessions were programmed into a peckingmotif
generating function. During the artefact’s setup loop, the function is called
to generate an array of pecking rhythms.
Once artefact vocalisation is initiated during a period of relative quiet, one
of the stored rhythms is recalled, and the pecking solenoid begins to strike the
disk. Modelled after the pecking patterns of the pileated woodpecker, Chipper
vocalisations usually last between 5 and 15 seconds consisting of several motifs,
rests, and individual strikes. Two variations for the DC-motor operating logic were
tested. The first option maps disk movement to time, where the motor moves
slightly according to a fixed time interval during the entire installation period. The
second option maps motor movement to artefact vocalisation so that the motor
synchronises its actions with the solenoid pecking mechanism.
The time-based motor mapping works well when capturing the artefact’s vocalisation
frequency across an installation period is the priority. The second vocalisationbased
mapping can be helpful for installations conducted over extended periods
as it reserves fresh wood for new vocalisations. Furthermore, as the disk moves
after each pecking session, this mapping provides a better visual correlation between
the disk’s movements and the artefact’s scorekeeping. The major downside of the
vocalisation-triggered mapping is that the resulting score left on the disk is not
temporally accurate. Therefore, as both approaches provide distinct benefits, for
most installations a combination of both mapping strategies was used; where the
disk moves according to time, while shifting its position before vocalisation sessions.
Exhibits
Chipper was designed during the spring and summer of 2020 when woodpeckers
actively carved holes in trees to hide nuts for the winter. Informal in-situ test
installations were conducted during this period to improve the vocalisation hardware
and develop vocalisation motifs and patterns that better resembled woodpecker
pecking sessions. In addition to these backyard tests, Explorator chipper was
installed in a numerous sonic environments with and without woodpeckers in seven
Hyper-Soundwalk Series pop-up installations conducted between September 10th,
2020, and April 7th, 2021.
Compared to Chirper’s design, Chipper’s configuration allowed quicker installation
periods and easier transportation to installation locations due to improved legs and
decreased weight and size. Furthermore, foot modularity was helpful on several
occasions when ground conditions were unfavourable or when artefacts required
unusual placement. However, despite its smaller, slimmer design, Chipper’s most
significant shortcoming was its still considerable size and weight which limited
transportability.
According to the Acropolis aesthetic guidelines, Chipper provides an improvement
over Chirper. However, these aesthetic advancements came at the cost of
environmental protection. On one occasion, the artefact was installed outdoors for
several days through a rainstorm where the primary enclosure experienced minor
liquid ingress within the battery compartment. This event produced no damage
to the electronic components due to their partitioned location within the top of
the enclosure. However, it is acknowledged that this event reveals a limit to the
environmental resilience of this physical design and highlighted the need for a more
robust end and topcap for future species. Throughout its numerous formal and
informal in-situ installations, Explorator chipper accomplished its high-level objectives
to optimise existing Explorator genus hardware and firmware while advancing
the genus’s physical design, portability, and Hyper-Soundwalk Series installation
use-cases and therefore serves as a successful second Explorator species.