Maelstrom
XR, Art, HCI7.1 Spatial Instrument and Interactive Audiovisual Installation
Lead Artist: Yufan Xie
Co-Writer: Mel Lewis
Sound Designer: Ziqian Yin
Visual Artist: Wei Wu
Toolkits: Unreal Engine, Metasounds and Dolby spatial audio
Year: 2023
Press Released: VOGUE China, Harper’s BAZAAR China, Art China, USA Art News, Artron, and ifeng, etc.
Awards
International Sound Awards, Sound Art
SXSW Innovation Awards 2024 Finalists, Audio Experience
Exhibition
Shanghai Urban Space Art Season 2023
Spectra Studio Halloween dome screening night, Oct 29, 2023
South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals, March 9, 2024
Association of Computing Machinery Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (ACM CHI) - CHI 2024 Interactivity, May 11-16, 2024
La Ola! Exhibition at Centro Juvenil Pipo Velasco, Madrid, Spain, Apr 18-May 18, 2024
Aisa Digital Art Exhibition, Sept 20-25, 2024
ENNOVA Art Biennale, Oct 26, 2024 - Apr 30, 2025
Talk
ACM SIGGRAPH Sparks - Anticipating the Architecture(s) of The Future – Speculative Arts & Design Research: Theory & Practice, Apr 26, 2024
Underground Art and Design Jukebox of Dissonance Art Festival, Oct 19-20, 2024
GameSoundCon 2024, Oct 29-30, 2024
Conference Paper
Maelstrom: Spatial Instrument and Decision Making Tool Based on Pattern Progression,
CHI EA '24: Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. Article No.: 408, Pages 1 - 5. https://doi.org/10.1145/3613905.3648645
Maelstrom explores navigating today's data overload in the form of an audio-visual installation
and an ever-evolving spatial instrument. It examines the impact of immersive technology on
perception and memory, offering a novel approach to managing information through pattern
recognition.
'Maelstrom' presents a journey through the symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment, with a groundbreaking real-time audio-visual interactive interface. This piece reflects on the prevailing overflow of data and technology that shapes our information ecosystem and the sensory overload imposed on humanity. It delves into the impact of "immersive" information environments and generative technologies on our cognition: within today's data ecosystem, how do immersive experiences and generative technologies influence our capacity to process information? How do we filter pertinent information, discern the operational patterns of our surroundings, and find a way amidst the tumult of information flows?
'Maelstrom' presents a journey through the symbiotic relationship between humans and the environment, with a groundbreaking real-time audio-visual interactive interface. This piece reflects on the prevailing overflow of data and technology that shapes our information ecosystem and the sensory overload imposed on humanity. It delves into the impact of "immersive" information environments and generative technologies on our cognition: within today's data ecosystem, how do immersive experiences and generative technologies influence our capacity to process information? How do we filter pertinent information, discern the operational patterns of our surroundings, and find a way amidst the tumult of information flows?
How can we perceive patterns in otherwise seemingly chaotic and unpredictable streams of
activity as a means of not only surviving but also embracing the inevitable interdependence of
an unpredictable future?
Marshall McLuhan recognized parallels of today to Edgar Allan Poe's novel "A Descent into the Maelstrom." In this short story, a sailor becomes so absorbed in thought that he is caught in a maelstrom. Realizing he cannot row his boat out of the situation, he must observe the objects within the maelstrom and grab onto the recurring ones as a means of escape. The lesson: only through pattern recognition can we cope with information overload. This vortex embodies the challenges of our information age today, and the exhibit replicates the process of "detachment" through information overload, yet it possesses cyclical patterns in time. Through such sensory patterns, collective memories and habits become an inheritable feature of the environment, offering a way out of the maelstrom.
Marshall McLuhan recognized parallels of today to Edgar Allan Poe's novel "A Descent into the Maelstrom." In this short story, a sailor becomes so absorbed in thought that he is caught in a maelstrom. Realizing he cannot row his boat out of the situation, he must observe the objects within the maelstrom and grab onto the recurring ones as a means of escape. The lesson: only through pattern recognition can we cope with information overload. This vortex embodies the challenges of our information age today, and the exhibit replicates the process of "detachment" through information overload, yet it possesses cyclical patterns in time. Through such sensory patterns, collective memories and habits become an inheritable feature of the environment, offering a way out of the maelstrom.
Commissioned by SUSAS (Shanghai Urban Space Art Season), this audio-visual installation,
developed in Unreal Engine and utilizing Dolby Atmos spatial audio technology, uses 7.1
surround sound and generative projection, empowering the audience to create their own unique
responsive spatial auditory experience by shifting the original map and soundscape of
Shanghai. It explores the concept of "information ecology" and perceptive memories. The
installation plunges visitors into a sensory vortex, providing an innovative guided experience. It
helps us embrace the overwhelming forces of data today to bridge the gap between evolution
and technology and between technology and humanity.
The entire creative team behind "Maelstrom" boasts an educational background in architecture while venturing into various fields, including interactive design, mixed reality, sound art, and media art. At the intersection of cultures and fields, Maelstrom presents a new perspective on spatial computing and sensory augmentation.
The entire creative team behind "Maelstrom" boasts an educational background in architecture while venturing into various fields, including interactive design, mixed reality, sound art, and media art. At the intersection of cultures and fields, Maelstrom presents a new perspective on spatial computing and sensory augmentation.
Exhibition
Shanghai Urban Space Art Season, Shanghai, China
Sept 25 - Nov 20, 2023
Shanghai Urban Space Art Season , Shanghai, China
Sept 25 - Nov 20, 2023
Spectra Studio dome performance night, Los Angeles
Oct 29, 2023
Spectra Studio dome performance night, Los Angeles
Oct 29, 2023
Spectra Studio dome performance night, Los Angeles
Oct 29, 2023
AlloSphere, Santa Barbara3 stories building, 26 projectors, and 54.1 Channels of sound