Looking Outwards 10

Coin Switch – Fedde ten Berge

Coin Switch is an installation that plays different sounds and alters lighting based on movement within the room. It is interactive art that reacts differently based on the visitor’s unique sequence of movements. This installation was inspired by old coin switches, which was used to count coins. Berge incorporates this old principle by making the visitor flip a coin switch in order to start the sound and light.

I admire how the visitor’s movements reflect different sounds that can evoke different emotions. For example, if the visitor moves quickly, the sounds and lights are more brisk and high pitched, suggesting a sense of urgency. If a visitor moves slowly, the lights flicker more slowly and the sound pitch is lower. I admire how the sounds and lighting is not random, but deliberately affected by the speed and types of movement of the visitor.

Coin Switch uses context-sensitive electronic sound synthesis and sound design to play the sound and change the lights synchronously. The installation has a variety of algorithms that can create a range of different sound and light operations.