COLLIDE is a synaesthetic art installation created with onformative for Dolby Gallery in San Francisco. We composed and spatialised a soundtrack built from recorded cello improvisations developed through a shared audiovisual process.
Our Role Sound Concept, Open Composition, Sound Production, Mix & Master // Client Dolby Gallery, San Francisco // Creative Direction, Design onformative // Production Imprint Project, onformative // Research Christian Loclair // Year 2016
COLLIDE is a synaesthetic art installation commissioned by Dolby Laboratories for Dolby Gallery in San Francisco. Created together with onformative, the work combines abstract visuals and spatial music composition within a large-scale audiovisual environment.
Image and sound were developed through a shared compositional process. Three cellists entered the animated visual world through VR headsets and interpreted different sections of the animation in real time as a moving graphic score. Each performer experienced a separate visual perspective while remaining connected through the shared acoustic space of the performance.
The resulting recordings became the foundation of the soundtrack. Visual motion, intensity, rhythm, and pacing directly influenced the musical interpretation, creating a close relationship between animation and composition. The final piece was spatialised and mixed in Dolby Atmos for playback across 54 speakers and 17 subwoofers.
Our contribution focused on sound concept development, open composition, spatial music composition, sound production, and final mix and master for the installation.
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