Locust Wrath: an iOS audience participatory auditory display

Abstract

Mobile devices have been used in soundscape installations and performances over the past decade or longer, often to emphasize social interaction. Multichannel sonification has been found to successfully represent data describing kinematic phenomena. However, there are few if any examples where these two approaches are combined. The Locust Wrath project has evolved in stages: first, as surround sonifications of climate data for a multimedia dance performance; then, as a frontal display sound installation and as material in a live performance of ‘musical’ interactive sonification; and recently, as an audience participator work. We developed a system for spatialized sonification of data using a server-client model with iOS devices. In two multimedia performances, the audience members’ iPhones were employed ad hoc to constitute a large auditory display. This paper describes the artistic background to the project, outlines the stages, and focuses on the design and implementation of the Locust Wrath client app.