KOTODAMA:

Human spoken words are not visible in themselves, yet I often have the subjective feeling that they are somewhat tactile and occupy a certain space that one could artistically represent as various volumes or solid shapes. To show my sensation of solidified human voices in conversations, I created the interactive system "Kododama."

Several solid objects made of polyester and rubber float in the exhibition space, their shape is inspired by the shape of voice bubbles as depicted in comics.

When a visitors picks up a stethoscope and touches the voice bubble object, she can listen to messages which have previously been stored inside the bubble by prior users. To record a message into the bubble the user touches the nozzle of the voice bubble and speaks into the microphone integrated into the nozzle. Message up to 10 seconds of length can be recorded. During recording, a small lamp is lit to indicate the recording processes. The voice recording also triggers the voice bubble to slightly inflate through integrated compressors and pump. On the other hand the bubble gradually deflates when the users listen to the messages through the stetoscope.