RVH Sonification

Royal Victoria Hospital is one of the biggest and most well-known hospitals in Northern Ireland. This interactive sonification system was installed in the main hallway of the hospital, which plays the role of a physical navigational interface, providing access to clinics, wards, and also connections via lifts to other levels of the building. The generated aural experience utilizes a range of methodologies to construct the sonic landscape (mainly with live and pre-recorded sounds, sound synthesis, and audio effects). The articulation of the sonic elements is directly related to the socio-spatial information that is extracted from the participants in the main hallway. Shifting events take place in time and space, and the system’s fluidity depends on the occupants’ direct or indirect interactions. The system proposes functions and ideas that may be ‘familiar’, ‘engaging’, and ‘immersive’ (Bandt, 2002), and zoning techniques have been devised to enhance the spatial dimensions of the architectural space. The system uses 4 cameras as the sensory mechanism, and 16 channels to distribute the sound in space;  the sonic articulation provides a case that fluctuates ‘between art, function, real and virtual’ (Crow & Prior, 2004).