Design 21: Social Design Network

Cocoon 1

Material: Industrial grade Felt TAC board egg crate foam Fiberglass Production processes: Casting Molding Rotational molding Sewing, gluing, sealing

Title: Sound Creator and Escapist

Category: Design Research, Product Design, Target Market research

Subject Area: Design, and Psychology

Lesson time: Will vary depending on availability of Jazz and psychology students.

Introduction: This “Design Charrette for sound Creator and Escapist’s purpose is to help create a consensus for sound issues as musicians and students, while learning from each other reasons for the necessity to create sound, as well as escape it. Through this Design Charrette I hope to gather food for a problem with sound and the user’s specific needs, at home, work, on the go, and wherever sound can be an issue.

Objective:

• To identify negative sounds and their source. -To understand the habits of student, and musician. -To learn from each other experiences where sound affects sanity.
• To understand the practice habits of musicians. -To determine whether we make enough noise, or too much. -To identify already existing solutions.

Materials: Large Sheets of paper Markers different colors Tape post-its Video camera Instrument

Procedures: In order to interact with New School Jazz students, I must have my charette and thesis proposal down to an elevator pitch. I can steal time with them in their practice spaces on the 5th and 6th floors in their department. Equipped with a DV camera I can spontaneously conduct a charrette while recording to maximize the efficiency of time spent.

Design Charrette 1: The first encounter will be about ...

Introduction:

In the next seven months I intend to become very knowledgeable about sound absorbing materials, and technical procedures for reducing sound pollution. Living in New York City it is impossible to escape sound. It is everywhere, what we do not realize is its negative effects on the body and the mind.

There are two kinds of sound users, the ones who wish to escape sound, and those that wish to create it. I find myself as a drummer and a student in both categories, I need to create sound while playing my instrument, but I also seek refuge from sound in school and at home in order to think clearly, and develop productive flow states.

My focus during this project will be to identify the needs of specific users, starting with Musicians from New School’s Jazz Department; I will learn their practice habits, and their specific sound needs, whether as creator, or escapist. I will also target my research with New School Psychology students to dive deep into the psychology of sound, and how serenity can be achieved through a designed sound intervention.

By creating a family of forms which speak to different sound absorbing needs in the home, at school, the office, the factory, etc. I hope to increase quality of life by enabling both the creator and the escapist.

Key Research Findings:

• Sound is like water it will find its way through any crack in a floor or ceiling flowing into adjacent rooms.
• Sound travels through structural elements, a piece of hardwood that conn...

MISSION: \ \ \ \ \ \ My mission is to look at New York City as a sonic environment. Sound is a factor in quality of life. Sound can be a tool for productivity, or a destructor. / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / P R E M I S E : Sound affects everyone, whether we know consciously and are annoyed, or whether our sub conscious is only aware, nevertheless affected. W H I T E N O I S E Sound can be seen as a M A T E R I A L . It is F E L T, on the body, using our sense of hearing, as well as touch, because sound waves physically touch your body, and affect your brainwaves. S T R U C T U R E O R D E R Y T H M MO T I O N S U P E R L E A R N I N G __ _ _ _ _ === ++ ++--_ -------------------------------_---------_--------------/// \\ //// \\ // /\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ \ \ \\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\ \ \ \ \\\ \\\//////// The question of overstimulation, and the idea of slow space, begs whether we have enough sanctuary or if we are constantly in the performance space. The effect of sound changing behavior is important to look at, because so much sound is experienced as an involuntary audience. How much control do we have over sound? And what control does it have over us? “Noise is the most common quality of life complaint we get,” Charles Sturcken, then the chief of staff for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said in a June 2002 interview for the New York Times. ...

research. Personal anecdote.

d

I got a 10 person response to my S O U N D survey. I learned that some people don't like to use headphones or listen to music in the subway for fear of missing already hard to hear messages from the conductor, or to keep an ear out for dangerous, or suspicious people.

Most of the people surveyed wear earbud headphones, as oppossed to head band or noise cancelling headphones.

Everyone in the survey listens to music on the train.

Most listen to music while doing work. Half the participants would try playing a public instrument if they existed.

1. Do you listen to music while riding the subway?

2. Yes I do

   1. yes
   2. no
   3. yess always
   4. yes
   5. yes
   6. No. I like to hear what is going on around me. I'm always afraid I won't hear what the conductor is saying.
   7. nope, I like to concentrate on my surroundings and be cautious of anything that might be suspicious.
   8. yes
   9. Yes

3. What type of Headphones do you use?

Ear Bud - 80%

Noise cancelling - 10%

Head Band 10%

1. When do you listen to music?

while walking to the subway - 87.5%

on the subway platform - 87.5%

on the train - 100%

1. How do you listen to music?

while reading - 37.5%

while talking with a friend - 12.5%

while on the phone - 12.5%

while watching TV - 12.5%

while playing an instrument - 25%

while doing work - 87.5%

1. Why do you listen to music?

2. I listen to music to relax.

   1. sometimes just to enjoy it and sometimes i listen to music not to think about anything
   2. i like to listen to music because it organizes my ...

...

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE2DD1F39F937A35754C0A9679C8B63

An estimated 5.2 million young Americans have some degree of hearing loss from sources like rock concerts, fireworks and lawn mowers, government research suggests.

http://www.mta.info/mta/network.htm

Average weekday ridership 8,505,966 as of December 31, 2007.

http://www.nycsubway.org/faq/factsfigures.html

Underground stations 277

Elevated Stations 153

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/health/17nois.html On subway platforms, the mean maximum noise level was 94 decibels. The highest level, 106 decibels, was recorded in Union Square station, and 12 percent of all platforms in the system exceeded 100 decibels. The maximum safe exposure duration at 85 decibels is 45 minutes, according to the E.P.A.; above 105, it is 30 seconds.

Can I connect this information?

It seems we are losing our hearing by way of many sources. The subway proves to be a major contribution, as well as other sporadic interactions, to equipment on the streets, passing by construction sites etc.

While looking for statistical information I read that subway commuters are combating the noise levels in the station and on the train with their own in ear music/headphones/mp3 players.

This also proves damaging. The best thing to do is where ear plugs, some sort of hearing protection. And if you must listen to music, Noise cancellation head phones are readily accessible to purchase.

...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkpEPth8ubs&NR=1

Play piano with your brain