Designer Mark McKeague poses an interesting question: “Would city sounds be translated into a bohemian experimental symphony ?” What if using modern technology could create synthesized sounds which could be quite beautiful. McKeague has created a simulation of central London’s city streets, using the movements and interactions of daily traffic around iconic structures like Big Ben to generate a soundscape as unique as the place where it is created.
In the simulation video below we see sheet music like streets traversed by note like cars. Based on an algorithm which explores the cars’ interactions both in relation to each other and the traffic lights on the street, McKeague has created otherworldly sounds reminiscent of the score to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
How could this all be possible in reality? As McKeague explains, “electric cars are increasingly using synthesized sounds in order to mimic the recognizable noise of the internal combustion engine. I explore an alternative in which the sound that the cars generate changes according to its relationship to other road users and the environment.” It’s an intriguing idea, whether the strange musical treatment is pleasing to you or not. Check out his work on his site.
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