Soma-surface for Snoosphere

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BACKGROUND: Soma-surface for Snoösphere is a creative work by Frank Feltham with James Curtis (research assistant) in collaboration with Lull Studios. Snoösphere was created by Lull Studios as a responsive sensory environment to roam, touch and explore. It employs autistic artists' insights into hyper-sensitivity, engaging all of the senses using playful spatial and intelligent design. Snoösphere incorporates the 'Soma-surface' - a modular system of 6 pressure sensitive plates designed by Feltham with a thematic sound design and interactive strategy to respond to the weight change of the footstep developed by Feltham and Curtis. CONTRIBUTION: This work is a significant departure from the earlier development of Feltham's 'Soma-surface' in that it focuses on the development of a hyper-sensitive weight change and sonic response specifically for the theme of Snoösphere as a responsive sensory environment. This was achieved through the refining the surface sensing and software design. The sound synthesis developed was completely new departing from earlier sound design efforts. The research extends Feltham's ongoing research on walking and somatics in Human Computer Interaction by developing understandings of self-awareness of walking through hyper-sensitive movement to sound responses. SIGNIFICANCE: Feltham and Curtis were invited to collaborate with Lull studios based on his expertise in developing pressure sensitive sound generating surfaces. Snoösphere was part of the Big Anxiety Festival, an initiative of UNSW Sydney in association with the Black Dog Institute and over 25 partners in the cultural, education and health sectors. It was reviewed in Artlink magazine, an independent journal of critical writing on the contemporary visual arts in Australia and the Asia-Pacific, and ABC Lateline, amongst others.