It is an online and offline community of sound sharings, that uses a park bench as its interface. The urban woods of Alameda de São Dâmaso in Guimarães (Portugal) was the chosen scenario to combate the loneliness of people who sit on those park benches.
Therefore the raw material of the project is each sound sharing, which can be translated in everything that people would like to exteriorize through sound.
Therefore the raw material of the project is each sound sharing, which can be translated in everything that people would like to exteriorize through sound.
Urban woods in Alameda de São Dâmaso in Guimarães (Portugal) Source of the image
Collection of sound sharings
It was done using 2 techniques: holding and without holding hands. They were categorized upfront into past, present and future. Also some events were created:
- 15-minute session take I and II;
- Happening "envolve-te/get involved";
- future event with theimpermanenceproject character #1.
- Happening "envolve-te/get involved";
- future event with theimpermanenceproject character #1.
People sharing with theimpermanenceproject character
Prototype
It incorporates technology in the park bench itself, that allows it to have other functionalities:
- the recording of sound sharings if someone is sitted;
- the continuous playback of sound sharings if no one is sitted.
(1) Microphone (2) Facebook Sharing Signal in Aluminium (3) MacBook 13´´(4) Portable Speaker (5) Arduino Uno + MPR121 Proximity Capacitive Touch Sensor Controller + Wire
At least a bench merely listen without judging, not leaving room for doubt: the object does not care about the individuals. This is the project progress blog.
In short, to absorb the sonic imagery of the people of the park was a fascinating journey, in which the unexpected, and the improvisation were present, as well as the absence of expectations.
Some deep occasional conversations emerged, but they were not recorded, they consisted in words of encouragement to people to whom life didn't always smile.
