Resonance

BACKGROUND: The ability to enhance recovery of motor and cognitive function following brain injury remains one of the great challenges for rehabilitation professionals. In recent years digital media art has been used as a means to engage and motivate people in physical therapy (e.g. Assoc Prof Brooks, Aalborg University has developed audiovisual art works that aim to enhance the quality of life for severely disabled children.) The Resonance table is a unique interactive musical interface designed to support upper-limb rehabilitation for groups of individuals with an acquired brain injury. CONTRIBUTION: The digital artwork promotes collaborative modes of interaction between small groups of performers (1-4) standing face-to-face around the display as they build complex sounds individually and collectively. I designed the graspable user interfaces, artwork, and audiovisual feedback to facilitate social interaction and group rehabilitation. Group participation is fundamental to the experience of Resonance and builds upon our prior work called 'Elements'. A preliminary user evaluation indicates Resonance is a powerful therapeutic tool to engage individuals with brain injury socially in rehabilitation and motivate them to participate in therapy through creative expression and play. SIGNIFICANCE: RESONANCE is supported by a Synapse Australian Research (ARC) Linkage Grant through the Australia Council, its Arts funding and advisory body (AUD 75,000). RESONANCE was competitively selected by the Sónar festival for exhibition at the MarketLab, Fira Montjuïc, Barcelona, 18-20 June, 2015. Sónar is the International Festival of Advanced Music and Congress of Technology and Creativity, celebrated in Barcelona every June. More than 4,500 visitors participated in the event. The Resonance table gained nationwide media attention from the main Spanish newspapers and was chosen by El Mundo as one of the top ten innovative ideas at Sonar+D.