Your Flow Makes It Go! — a sound installation bringing interactivity to gentlemen’s loos. The Spunkflakes worked with a group of students from the RCA Interactive Multi-Media course to produce an installation in the gent’s toilets at their degree show. The urinals were wired to computer controlled sensors which triggered entertaining audio loops when coming into contact with liquid.
Your Flow
Makes It Go!
Men were able to use them as normal when nature called, while women were provided with bottles to have a go. One member of the RCA faculty was driven to exasperation at the exhibit, exclaiming in disgust, “This is everything that technology shouldn’t be used for!” — the highest praise is often unintended!
Techietalk
Bespoke sensors were attached to the drains of a set of three urinals. These were integrated with an Apple Mac computer via cables into serial port connections. A connection was made by running liquid over the sensor to complete the electrical circuit. This then triggered a Macromedia Director script which played a series of audio samples via a speaker system hidden in the toilet’s ceiling cavity.
Various audio tracks produced by the Spunkflakes sang to the users. The programming was designed so that the audio was modified depending on how many of the sensors were active, giving a unique experience to each individual and/or group of users.
Exhibited 12th to 19th September 1994 at the Royal College of Art, Interactive MultiMedia Degree Show and the ICA as part of the Open Submissions Platform.
Technology produced by O-Rama Multimedia: Simon Grosser, Natalie Hunter, Henry Johnson & Dan Salmon.
Audio by the Spunkflakes: Shaun McDermott, Paul Neesham & Dan Salmon.
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