Looking Outwards 10 Liz Maday

A video depicting the seaside location of Drift.

Drift (2004), designed by Teri Rueb, was inspired by idea of losing one’s self in an environment, something that seems to be increasingly difficult to achieve with the ubiquity of GPS and an increasingly explored world. This project invites the subject to allow themselves to simply “drift” in this ever changing sonic environment.

This interactive sound installation positioned by the Watten Sea of Northern Germany covers a region of about 2 km x 2 km. The subject wears headphones and experiences sounds that respond to movement, as well as the position of the tide and of satellites. Because of this constant change, one will never predict where any particular sound will be heard. For example, during low tide, the sounds are closer to the sea, and during high tide, they move outwards into the nearby town.

One of the reasons why I admire this work is because of how it utilizes technology in a way that enhances the beauty of this natural environment without making the subject overly focused on the technology used to create the installation. I also think that this installation would have a really wonderful effect of altering your consciousness in relation to the environment, and encouraging new perspectives.

Teri Reub is an artist whose work involves both sound and location through the use of mobile media. One of her largest contributions to her field is the establishment of “locative media” (interactive-installations based on GPS technologies) around 1997. She is now Professor of Media Study at the University of Buffalo, where she founded the Open Air Institute, which furthers learning and initiatives that deal with both media and ecology.