Unclear Cloud - sound work

Research Background Unclear Cloud comprises a composite body of research independently produced by Roland Snooks and Philip Samartzis exploring new sound, material and architectural relationships. The two spereate streams of research co-inhabit the installation to express the benefits and the ecological consequences of new manufacturing processes. On one hand the project illustrates how digital design processes, 3D printing and composite materials have the potential to transform the production of architecture. On the other hand the sound work embedded within the architecture is designed to remind audiences that a future increasingly defined by big data and interconnected digital systems (the cloud) must also consider the accelerating data-carbon footprint of architecture and design. Unclear Cloud references the aleatoric and stochastic processes of architect and composer Iannis Xenakis. Research Contribution Bridging the worlds of art, design, technology and science, Sampling the Future presents a selection of works from the NGV collection alongside newly commissioned projects by leading experimental and speculative designers who are 'sampling' the future. It reveals some of the many ways that digital technologies and advanced manufacturing are informing how artists, designers and architects operate. My contribution demonstrates the wide-ranging ecological consequences of all material production to advocate for greater efficiency, sustainability and ethical impact. Research Significance Unclear Cloud is commissioned by the NGV for Sampling the Future. The sound composition was produced with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation, the High Altitude Research Station at Jungfraujoch, and the Institute of Computer Music and Sound Technology at the Zurich University of the Arts. A special feature on the making of the sound composition for Unclear Cloud appears in the Sept/Oct edition of the NGV Magazine with a sound extract.