The brief: using a fictional version of the Companies House register altered to reflect different concerns, my teammates Maja Rowecka, James Cooper, and I were tasked with investigating and articulating the reality described on the registry. Our goal was to create an object that pertained to a company and produced sound.

With the set intention of stewardship of boundary lines and disputes, Queue Etiquette Forum sonified unspoken norms and rules specific to lines, acting as a regulating device that didn't require barriers or signage to manage lines. To accomplish this, we created a responsive soundscape using low-tech solutions that reflected the state of the line (number of people, position, speed, etc.) captured with an overhead camera and tiles that created tones in response to gestures (stepping, tapping, jumping, etc.). The overall soundscape combined with the physical tiles gave people the ability to not just see cultural norms play out, but also to hear their decisions, movements, and time spent played out.

With an ESP32 microcontroller, we collected data from the camera and tile sensors, sent it to a computer, and used Python to create the soundscape. The sound itself plays with existing music made for public spaces, waiting situations, and video games.

The tiles needed to be easily disassembled not only so we could repurpose the materials after the performance, but also to maintain access to the piezo sensor inside if anything were to go wrong.

The project culminated in a performance at Playhouse East where all of the objects from the Register operated together, creating a fuller picture of how a bureaucratic system might look if it reflected different values.