Making a fabric speaker

• Background : After careful consideration of which will the best way to deliver this story of domestic abuse, I chose to build a sound system with virtual visualization. I created the survivor’s house and character with camera movement in Unity. I built 4 spaces of her house – her bedroom, living room, dining room, and a large room they used as a study. I put 4 soundtracks of her testimony in each space, along with other ordinary domestic sounds I recorded separately. After doing so, 4 video experiences were created. 

• Goal : For delivering sound, I would like to put significance in listening behavior, because listening carefully to this survivor’s story is the heart of this project. I’d like to evoke interaction between audience in their listening process of this story.
• So I decided to make physical sound system in order to emphasize the significance of listening behavior, put more values and importance on this story, and lead audience to deeper engagement through series of interaction with it.
• How it works : Therefore I built this fabric speaker. The mechanism of this speaker is by creating electromagnet (coil), when audio signal is connected to the either end of this electromagnet, a fluctuating magnetic field forms around it. This magnetic field vibrates, repelling and attracting the fabric to the magnet. The fabric moves the air around it, translating electrical frequencies into audible waves that we can hear. 
• Core Components : Adafruit Mono 2.5W Amp, headphone jack, Litium Polymer battery, Fabric, Fusible interfacing, Conductive thread, normal thread, Neodymium magnets, needle, embroidery frame
• Process : For visual consistency, I used red canvas fabric. And to keep fabric stiff and firm, I fixed it into embroidery frame, and also I attached fusible interfacing to the backside of fabric. To make a coil, I couched conductive thread onto fabric with normal thread. To get a louder sound, I tried my best the coil is dense and tight. For amp part, I soldered the connection part for battery to the amp, and also soldered audio cable to the amp.
• Problems encountered : Soldering audio cable was not easy, I should to re-solder several times, and after that, I had to end up with a new amplifier. Audio cable has to be peeled off, and two grounds and two signal parts are in it. The tricky part was, soldering has to be done four times because it needs to connect with each ground and signal, and then it needs to soldered to the amp. Once it is soldered, it is already very hard so that it was difficult to double-solder to the amp.

Playtesting Plan

• Major Major popup show (May 5, 2pm – 6pm)
• Expected audience : Peers, DT Professors, my friends, and people who are interested in newest technology
• Guidance plan : I am going to talk to them briefly about concept, and shortly notice them how to use it. I am going to attach this speaker and touch controller to trigger each part of the sound onto the wall. Before they start to use it, I also should warn them about the story contains very intense elements. During they are experiencing the project, I will not bother them and keep the environment quiet and calm so that they can focus on the story.
• I would not put feedback sheet to write, rather I will ask them individually because I would like to gather feedbacks not only the response about the content itself. I would like to ask them how the general experience was, what they felt, and opinions about technology part.