Art Grants Submission Form 2014 (FOR REFERENCE ONLY)
Note: Asterisks denote required questions.
1) First Name* Philippe
2) Last Name* Esling
3) Playa Name Filoops
4) Email* esling@ircam.fr
5) Address 1* c/o IRCAM
6) Address 2 1, place Igor Stravinsky
7) City* Paris
9) Country*
France
10) Postal Code * F-75004
11) Phone Number* (+33) 6 32 58 91 08
12) International Phone Number (+33) 6 32 58 91 08
13) Have you been to Burning Man?* [X] Yes ( ) No
14) Which years have you been to Burning Man?* 2012
15) Artwork Title*
Evolving through sounds
16) Artist Bio*
Philippe Esling is an associate professor of mathematics and informatics at the
University Paris 6 and a researcher in signal processing and computer music at the
Institute for Research and Coordination Acoustics/Music (IRCAM). He is also a
research consultant at the Department of Genetics and Evolution in Geneva
University. He obtained his PhD in signal processing and computer music in 2012
on the topic of sound mixtures and orchestration at IRCAM laboratory. During his
career, he has been an invited researcher in Tokyo University (Tokyo, Japan),
McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and Columbia University (New York,
USA). His work has led him to work with many notorious composers and he has
experimented himself with music composition and interactive art installations.
Several musical projects have been presented in experimental festivals while his
software are currently in high active use in the contemporary music community.
One of his interactive musical pieces has been selected at Tokyo Wonder Site
International Experimental Festival and presented in March 2011. He has been
awarded the EDITE grant for study in 2009, the AFIM prize for young researcher
in 2010 and the University PhD 1st Prize of the General Council in 2013.
17) Budget Grand Total USD*
Total: 25.197$
Grant request: 20.000$
Web Image Attachments
At least one image of your concept is mandatory. This can be a drawing,
sketch, photo, etc. The image should give the grant committee a good sense of
what your art project will be. Your web images should not exceed 4MB in file
size for any given image. Please make sure to include the name of your
proposal in the name of the image!!
18) Link to a web page that lists all your images
If you have a web page that contains links to your images, then copy and paste the
your web page url below. Only paste one link into the box. Please DO NOT point
us to a Flickr or Facebook account. We download and print EACH image, so
make sure they are easily accessible and downloadable and printable without a
username or password.
http://repmus.ircam.fr/esling/burning.html
Upload up to five images below. Acceptable formats limited to png, gif, and
jpg. Please include the name of your proposal in the name of each of your
images!
Project Overview
24) Philosophical Statement*
Sound is a physical phenomenon that travels through space and is also a messenger
able to make us feel emotions or convey meaningful sensations and interactions.
Sound is crucial to our development and is the basis of our communication. Some
words have changed the world forever and language has the most powerful impact
on the modification of our psychological state. However, we usually cannot control
the flow of sound, as once it has been produced, its journey through air follows its
own evolution. Therefore, we can only receive sound passively as a spectator of its
temporal evolution. We wish with this project to allow people to travel through the
sound they want by controlling its flow. As will be detailed later, thanks to a
hallway of speakers with each playing indefinitely a small segment of sound, each
participant will be allowed to travel through its chosen sound, by using a
microphone input. These sounds will be automatically analyzed, segmented and
reconstructed along the hallway. Therefore, participants represent the "playhead" of
words, sentences or sounds and can travel through them. Finally, they can gain
control of the forward and backward flow of the sounds that are meaningful to
them. This installation can allow people to enter a different reality, a different
continuum with its own space and time granularity, where journeys and stories
seems to withstand in a stationary glimpse.
25) Physical Description*
The external structure looks like a curved hallway. It is made of triangular arcs of
carbon fiber tubes, which support an array of speakers. The arcs are connected
together by grounding tubes, concrete bases and PVC plates to enhance sound
directivity (as it will be an open air installation). A roof holding tube allows
increasing the structural solidity of the installation. Furthermore, two sideways
tubes clipped on the arcs will support an array of 120 speakers (on each side of the
hallway) that will be elevated at around 5 feet. This allows both to enhance the
sound projection and to maximize ventilation to prevent overheating. Above the
hallway itself will be laid two layers of canvas with different fabrics. One intended
to provide shading for the electronics and another to partly protect the installation
from wind and sand (will protecting the entrance). These layers will be decorated
and illuminated by color gradients of EL wire. Oppositely, the inside of the hallway
will be illuminated with dim LEDs, maximizing the effect of being in a different
continuum with its own space and time granularity.
When a participant approaches the entrance of the hallway, he can access the
control panel with a standing microphone. The participant is invited to input a
word, sentence or simply any sound in the microphone. Thanks to a segmentation
algorithm, spectral analysis and overlap-add synthesis, each sentence pronounced at
the beginning of the hallway is segmented and then each speaker is assigned to a
particular fragment of the sound and can then play it indefinitely in a sustained
manner. That way, when a participant travels through the hallway, the sentence is
fully reconstructed along its journey. The idea is that if a spectator walks at normal
speed, he will hear the sound identical to how it has been produced. By walking
faster or slower, the speed of sound perception varies accordingly. Finally, by
travelling backwards, the spectator can hear the sound in reverse.
The complete information on electronics protection measures specific to each type
of electronic hardware is detailed in the “sound component” section.
Budget
Yamaha NS-AW150 Speakers (sold by pair)
Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 audio interface
Jack to XLR Wires - Ssnake MXP 8030 (8X)
XLR Microphone - Shure SM58 LC
Curved carbon polymer bars (72'' x 2)
PVC Plates
Climbing rope - 11mm wide (100ft)
12'' Rebar stakes
Garden lamps
EL Wire (Multiple colors) - 5mm / 10m.
Gaffer tape P-665 1'' - 20 Yards
Cheesecloth #9 10 Yards
HEPA Filter sheet
Tensile cover (+ Entrance wind trap)
Concrete basis powder
Salvaged wood
Biodiesel generator rental - 60KW (per week)
Biodiesel (est. Conumption : 2.8 gal/h * 12h / day * 14 days)
Installation transport cost (Paris - Black rock city)
60
10
15
2
20
20
10
20
20
20
10
5
5
2
5
10
2
470
1
79,95
606,85
26,79
148,98
201,93
98,75
100
1,98
4,98
24,99
30,45
21,53
84,93
399
19,99
9,99
600
3,5
1500
4797
6068,5
401,85
297,96
4038,6
1975
1000
39,6
99,6
499,8
304,5
107,65
424,65
798
99,95
99,9
1200
1645
1500
25397,56
27) Burning Man partially funds art projects. Where else do you plan to
gather the necessary funds for completing the installation?*
The artistic crew has already gathered around $3000 (by personal and friend
funding and event organization). We intend to perform another final round of
crowdfunding with a kickstarter project depending on the remaining amount of
funds required. Furthermore, the IRCAM laboratory has agreed to support this
project both technically and financially. This support will be materialized by
working time of experts, access to hardware and most importantly by allowing the
crew to rely on the different deals and special prices that IRCAM can have because
of its institutional status.
28) Urban Planning for Art*
Do you envision your artwork potentially being placed in an urban setting after the
Burning Man Event?
[X] Yes ( ) No
29) Please describe any changes or modifications you would want to make to
the piece to make its placement possible.
There would be absolutely no change required to the overall structure of the
installation, speakers’ array, sound interfaces or algorithms. The only modification
to perform is to re-create a concrete basis regular and heavy enough for a different
type of grounding than sand. This could allow placing the overall hallway structure
that is supporting the speakers in any kind of urban setting
30) Sound Component*
Sound is of course the central element of this installation. The core concept is that
the sound emitted by the system will be input by the participants themselves.
Therefore, the sound level will be limited and controlled thanks to a software
compressor. However, this installation should not be placed next to loud sound
systems, as it would interfere with the final impression on participants.
Regarding sound “pollution”, as the maximum power amplification inside the city
is set to 300 watts (no more than 90 decibels at 20 feet), our amplification system
will be based on 150W RMS speakers. Furthermore, for a greater sound projection
our overall speakers array will be elevated at around 5 feet and each speakers tilted
at an angle of 30° towards the ground. Finally, the PVC plates, wind traps and twolayered cloth over the structure for shade and protection will prevent the sound
from traveling excessively.
In order to provide a maximal resistance of our electronics to the elements, we will
rely on speakers built for extreme conditions. The Yamaha NS-AW150 is an allweather waterproof speaker system that can still ensure a wide frequency response.
Our overall speakers’ array will be elevated at around 5 feet, which both enhances
the sound projection, but will also minimize the impact of ground-level alkali dust
on the electronics. Furthermore, each speakers will be tilted at an angle of 30°
towards the ground (for sound directivity), which adds the extra benefit of facing
the cones slightly down for drainage and extra protection to elements. The frontal
membrane of each speaker will be covered by cheesecloth held on with gaffers tape
allowing airflow while providing alkali dust protection. Light cloth imposes little
resistance on the speaker, as the material is free to move synchronously with the
sound waves and is less prone to rattling. We will use 16 gauge wires with 10%
extra length compliant with label CL2 (smooth casing) rated for direct burial,
perfect for underground temperature and moisture conditions.
Once mounted and connected, every “entry points” for each electronic component
(with exception to air ventilations for sound interfaces) will be sealed off with
gaffer tape. A daily maintenance routine will be performed on all electronics by
first checking their global dustiness, moisture and alkali levels. If alarming amounts
are detected, the corresponding electronics will be wiped with microfiber cleaning
cloth and compressed air. We also account in our budget for an amount of extra
spare electronics, speakers, microphone and wiring, in case of the need for
replacement during the event.
Regarding the rest of the electronics (computer and sound interfaces), an additional
level of protection will be ensured. First, a recycled old laptop (already prepared
and in hand) will be entirely formatted and optimized towards performance of
sound restitution for the event. It will be enclosed in 3M air filter sheets, sealed
with gaffer tape (along with any unconnected port, alimentation and Firewire
connections). The sound cards will be placed at distance from each other, with a
small array of cooling fans to avoid overheating. The complete system will be
enclosed in a wooden structure box (specifically built for the event) with positive
pressure ventilation and a HEPA filtration layer.
31) How will you illuminate your artwork?*
The whole hallway will be illuminated on the outside (over the top protecting layer)
in order to enhance visibility of the structure as a whole. Along each climbing rope
securing the structure will be set a 5mm EL Wire of a total length of 10m, so that it
can cover the structure from side to side. The EL Wires will be set following a
color gradient. Above each rebar stake will be attached a solar-powered garden
lamp spot which will protect it, and ensure the safety of the citizens.
The inside of the hallway will be a lot less illuminated (with dim led lights). This
will magnify the effects of sound on participants by minimizing the effects of other
senses. Along the ground level, dim EL Wires (covered 2.3mm) will indicate the
path. Each will climb along and circle around each speaker in order to provide an
enhancement of the center role played by speakers.
Finally, the control panel will be especially illuminated where the microphone,
sound interface and computer will be stored. A LED sign surrounding the box will
be set as an invitation for citizens to try the installation.
32) Safety*
There are two types of safety related to the installation that should be accounted.
First, the safety of the structure itself should ensure its resistance and solidity
towards harsh elements. For that matter, we designed a triangular-shaped hallway,
which is the structurally soundest unit of architectural design. The arcs will be
designed with a carbon fiber compound in order to maximize solidity while
providing flexibility in the case of high winds. Furthermore, the structure will be
weighted down with concrete bases at the meeting points of different arcs, to
ensure a resistance to the wind. The whole structure will be roped down by using
11mm climbing ropes that will be staked with 12” rebar stakes #4. Finally, the two
layers covering the hallway will serve both as shading for electronics and
protection to the wind. We will install the structure with the smallest possible
profile to the wind by orienting the hallway from southeast to northwest.
Second, the safety related to people that would be wandering around the structure.
Each of the rope will be clearly flagged and illuminated with EL wires. All the
rebar stakes will be protected with plastic tops, illuminated with solar-powered
garden lights. The entrance, exit and inside of the hallway will be illuminated as
well to maximize the safety of citizens. Finally, the overall installation was
designed with absolutely no loose or mobile pieces, in order to maximize safety.
33) Interactivity*
The main idea of this project is that the incoming participants will feed the sounds
that will be segmented and then played back. Therefore, the installation cannot
exist in itself without the interactive participation of citizens. Furthermore, as
participants represents the "playhead" of the sound, they can toy with the
installation by walking slowly, running or even going back and forth inside the
hallway. This generates different roles and provokes a form of emergent
interaction. Indeed, people can both be pro-active and feed a sound for other citizen
or actively interacting with the sounds of others. Therefore, in any case, citizens are
active participant and contributors at the same time, as they are the core of life for
this entirely participation-driven installation.
34) Dimensions*
Feet
Height
Length
Width
9
50
50 (15 hallway only)
35) Materials*
We will be using the materials detailled in the budget
- Curved carbon fiber arcs for support with metallic clips at several positions to
support the sound speaker.
- PVC plates in between to enhance the sound directivity (reused)
- An array of equi-repartited Yamaha NS-AW150 speakers
- Sound interaces, computer and microphone for controlling the system
- Rebar stakes (reused)
- Rebar protection (reused)
- Climbing ropes (reused)
- Tensile cover (reused)
- Salvaged wood (reused)
We are willing to use as much recycled materials as possible. For example, the
rebar stakes, carbon bars and several metallic items could be retrieved from a scrap
metal seller, such as Reno salvage.
However, the speakers should be as neat as possible and to ensure a really perfect
rendering, they should be all the same model. A possibility is to have a solid basis
of half the speakers being exactly the Yamaha NS-AW150 model that would be
placed at equidistance and then gather as much scrap speakers as possible to double
the output (and thus the quality of reconstruction).
Project Plan and Build Schedule
37) Start Build Date*
The system and algorithms have already been developed and tested prior to any
construction. These have been fully developed by the artist and a pre-compiled Mac
OSX demonstration version is available on the supporting webpage. As this project
requires a lot of material and live perceptual testing, a first reduced system should
be constructed to check the consistency and perceptual relevance of the algorithms.
Therefore, we plan to start construction around June 1st of a reduced system,
approximately one third of the final installation. This will be constructed and tested
inside IRCAM laboratory in Paris. Thus, we have to buy around a third of the
complete material budget for first tests. When this system is completed and
running, we can buy the complete setup around July 15th. We will then test the
complete setup by third pieces (as the length of the hallway exceeds the size of our
laboratory hallway). We should also handle transportation arrangements and fees at
least 2 months before the beginning of the installation. Finally, on site construction
will be performed 6 days before the beginning of the event as detailed in the
onplaya schedule.
38) Do you have adequate crew to build, install, and clean-up your project
already identified?*
[X] Yes
( ) No, not yet
39) Support Crew*
Our crew is already fully identified. We need to have a specific task force for each
aspect of the installation. Overall, and in addition to each person’s specific set of
skills, every member of our crew will be part of the muscle team that will build,
maintain and animate the installation. Special crew and corresponding skills that is
required for this project:
Philippe Esling: Artist - Conception / Overall managing, algorithmic fine-tuning,
signal processing and Room acoustics calibration.
Olivier Godin: Designer / Structure design, structure resistance, materials selection
and construction planning.
Charlène Fromhell: Structural support and structure weather resistance
Nicolas Fabes: Engineer / Structural stability and construction supervisor.
Antoine Bouchereau: On-site software expert, analysis and maintenance
Romain Potier-Ferry: Speakers expert / Management, wiring schematics and
maintenance.
Jordan Gerber: Sound engineering and sound interfaces management and
maintenance
Adrien Dreamdropper: Lighting expert, visual structure design and high-resolution
photography of the installation
Franck Lejzerowicz: Structure safety, resistance, maintenance and animation.
Caroline Benedetti: Perceptual evaluation and wave field rendering for speaker
placement
40) Pre-Playa Construction Schedule
Stage
Start
Date
End Date
1
Algorithmic
specification
May 1st
June 1st
2
Reduced installation
June 1st
July 15th
Note
The software is currently a
demonstration, this step will allow
to prepare a fully automated version
specific to the choice of sound cards
and speakers.
Software fine-tuning, anechoic
room measurements and perceptual
checking.
Testing the algorithms and checking
the perceptual validity on a 1/3rd
scaled installation
3
Future weather-proof
July 15th
solutions testing
4
Travel to Reno
5
Collecting remaining August
materials
13th
August
12th
August 10th
Check the best solutions for playaproofing our electronics. Also
perform this test by throwing
buckets of wet alkali dust to the
speakers and audio interface, testing
heat and cold but also with sand
thrown at air fan.
August 13th
August
18th
Collection of pre-reserved materials
at Reno, to reduce global transport
costs.
7
8
9
10
41) On Playa Construction Schedule
Please describe the date you wish to arrive to Black Rock City and your planned
construction schedule for the playa.
Stage
Start
Date
End Date
1
Main structure
Aug 18
Aug 20
2
Speakers array
Aug 21
Aug 23
3
Sound testing
Aug 22
Aug 24
4
Illumination
Aug 19
Aug 24
5
Final testing
Aug 24
Aug 25
6
7
Note
Installation of carbon arcs, PVC
plates and protection layers
Fixation of speakers to metallic bars
and wiring to the sound interface
Individual speaker sound testing
Installation and wiring of the
spotlights and EL Wire
Testing the final rendering of the
system
8
9
10
42) Transportation to Playa*
As most of the crew as well as a large part of the equipment for the installation will
be located in Paris, France, we estimate the whole transportation journey as a five
days trip. First two to three days will be required for getting the equipment from
Paris to Reno (even if crew only takes one day, we ensure a security margin). We
will then take a week (not counted in the transportation plan) to collect materials
for the remaining parts of the installation. We already spotted several scrap sellers
for finding salvaged material (Reno salvage co) and different small parts (Discount
supply store – habitat for humanity, Reno). Finally, we need a truck to get from
Reno to the Playa, a one-day trip extended to two for security.
43) Leave No Trace plan*
As a pre-event LNT planning, we will gather an extensive list of all materials and
pieces brought to the playa. All materials listed will have to be accounted for at the
end of the event, even for small parts (such as screws and ropes). All packaging
from the speaker and sound interfaces will be removed and recycled and they will
be stored in bubble wrap and cheesecloth (used later for electronics protection).
Regarding the structure itself, every element has to be securely strapped and fixed
for the whole event (which will also be checked on a daily basis). Hence, there is
no mobile part in the installation, and the overall structure is tied down to the
ground with climbing ropes.
The cleanup plan will start from more fragile and small units to avoid any loss.
First, the whole system needs to be unwired and computer, sound interfaces and
microphone need to be properly stored. The first step will be to handle the sound
interfaces, microphone and main panel. Then the speakers can be taken back from
the metallic arches and again because of their fragility, special care should be taken
about their storage. First, gaffer tape will be removed and placed in a specific
recycling bin. The cheesecloth can be salvaged and reused for further installations.
Then, PVC plates, metallic arches and spotlights will be taken care of. When every
piece of material has been handled, we will proceed to collect any kind of garbage
that could have been left behind by participants around the installation. For this
part, we will perform several rounds of line sweeping with different grid and
distance patterns. We will bring magnet rakes and work gloves to ensure that no
element is left behind. All personal and external garbage will then be carefully
sorted in corresponding recycling bins. Recycling units will be handed towards
properly designated areas and for the crew will pay the fees for eventual external
trash found.
As our installation will require several holes for securing the structure, we will
refill the holes by putting back the sand (carefully bagged in trash bags when
installing) slightly mixed with water into each hole and damping.
Finally, the daily maintenance hours of the installation will include a MOOPing
sweep to ensure the LNT plan on a daily basis. Our crew will also happily
participate in the final MOOP rounds together with other Black Rock volunteers for
the whole Burning Man event on Sunday and Monday.
Artwork Utilizing Fire None
44) Open Fire* ( ) Yes [X] No
45) Open Fire Details* None
46) Flame Effects* ( ) Yes [X] No
47) Flame Effects Schematics/Details* None
48) Does your proposed artwork utilize pyrotechnics?* ( ) Yes [X] No
49) Pyrotechnics Detail* None