aviary glass grove by howeler + yoon tweets when touched

at the intersection of architecture, design and technology is höweler + yoon architecture and parallel development‘s ‘aviary’: an interactive audiovisual environment, which immerses entrants in a musical and kaleidoscopic grove of glass. the installation responds to human touch by displaying illumination and sound effects when felt. like a communicative instrument, ‘aviary’ can be played by one or many users, producing varying tweets upon contact — a bird in flight or a one in its natural habitat resounds aloud. each pole has a specialized set of related sounds that range from bird songs at their crown to abstracted interpretations at their base. a light touch on the surface of the glass cylinder creates a vertical burst of both light and noise, while a strong hold slowly fills the column with the entire audiovisual experience. sliding up and down the pole at a slow pace causes a dynamic and harmonious blended effect, while a quicker movement results in a flare of light floating up to the top and migrating to adjacent poles, giving the illusion of a moving sound source.

aviary (2013)
video courtesy of HYA

the audiovisual experience responds to human touch
all images courtesy of höweler + yoon

located in the dubai mall in two separate clusters, each aviary forms the shape of a spiral with poles of varying heights, from 2.5 meters to 4 meters, with the tallest poles at the center of the composition. experienced in the space, users may follow the spiral from outside to inside, finding themselves immersed within the coil of the spiral. the surround sound effects are best appreciated from the center of the spiral.

the immersive sound grove in participation with an observer

the arabian peninsula is the hinge between africa and asia, and is therefore on the migration route of many species of birds. the composition of sounds for the installation consists of bird calls from either native or are migrating species. working with sound composer erik carlson, specific songs were selected for their individual melodies and their cultural symbolism — the peregrine falcon, the african desert warbler, the greater hoopoe lark, and the arabian babbler. these bird sounds were then interpreted musically and remixed, providing potential for users to recombine them in unique and creative ways.

‘aviary’ at  dubai mall, dubai UAE