FILM, AUGMENTED REALITY, SOUND DESIGN

Finding Lost Echoes

How can technology be used to reimagine folk music in a relevant context, bridging the gap between fading cultures and the youth?

OVERVIEW
ORGANISATION

Royal College of Art

TIMEFRAME

2023

PROJECT

Interactive Experience

ROLE

Concept & Design

THE WHY

Folk music has been used to tell stories of people and communities through the ages.

With time, these sounds have been fading into oblivion. This project presents these sounds to viewers in a more familiar light, combining the past and present to pave way for the future.
THE PROJECT

Finding Lost Echoes is an interactive experience

It consists of three touch-points for the participants to discover folk music, and as a result, generate interest about cultural knowledge.
TOUCHPOINT 1

The Film

The film enables us to see the rhythm between folk music and our day-to-day lives, making us realise how even after we move away from this cultural music because of changes in the way of living, we can still be connected to it by virtue of its nature.
touchpoint 2

Memories, Reimagined

The augmented reality filters, an extension of the film, reimagine memories that are familiar to people from different cultures, trying to evoke a feeling of nostalgia. Their interactive nature allows people to fulfil their curiosity by listening to the sound of these new instruments by tapping - learning more about them in the process.

Reimagining Friendship

Laughter echoes through the playground. Children in the middle of it all, soaring higher on the swings to the rhythm of the Dhadd - the beginning of a new friendship.

Reimagining Birthdays

Candles flickering on a birthday cake, dancing like the melody of an Alghoza. A warm glow, and a warmer feeling. Close your eyes, make a wish.

Reimagining Love

Handwritten notes and stolen glances. Like two hearts, the Dafli & Tumbi's melodies come together. Their love creates a symphony - a beautiful harmony they had never known before.

These cards were created for participants to take away during the exhibition. By scanning the Snapcode, participants could view the filter on their phones and interact to hear the sound, learning more about the instruments in the process.

TOUCHPOINT 3

The Exhibition

People could play the instruments and hear the sounds at the exhibition.
IMPACT

Reception

The project was well-received by the general public. There were many discussions around folk music and different instruments. It also led to increased awareness about these instruments. The filters have had 90,000+ plays since the inception of this project.
This project was featured at the SOUND/IMAGE Conference at the University of Greenwich (2023)
MY ROLE

Concept, Design & Implementation

This project was a result of collaborations with different folk musicians. I was a part of all the phases across the duration of this project.
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Main Responsibilities:
1. Research (Primary & Secondary), Concept
2. AR Filter Design
3. Sound Design
4. Film Recording
process

The Film

IntroductionOverviewProjectImpactMy RoleProcess