Genelec helps inspire creativity with interactive new attraction MUTATIONS
MUTATIONS, alternatively MUT-AT1-ØNS, is an inspirational new immersive audio-visual experience and highly adaptable mobile installation created by Finland-based creative company, Frame Rate. The attraction – which can be booked for events anywhere in the world – utilises a series of sensors to react to body movement, enabling visitors to intuitively trigger vibrant lighting effects and sound samples as they navigate an inviting interactive space.
"The installation is based truly and solely on quality audio and the experience that gives visitors." explains Producer Jukka Karhula, who put MUTATIONS together with his esteemed colleagues, Composer and Programmer Eli Stine and Creative Director Mika Johnson. Relying on the crystal-clear playback of sixteen Genelec 4020C installation loudspeakers and two 7050C subwoofers, the trio have skilfully crafted an uplifting experience that leaves participants of any musical skill level – particularly newcomers – with a warm sense of creative achievement.
Filmed at The Finnish Museum of Technology.
Johnson sheds light on his personal hopes for the attraction, stating "I'd like visitors to have some sort of transformation. I think that's the best thing you could possibly experience." MUTATIONS facilitates this as fluidly as possible, allowing each visitor to effortlessly co-author music simply by moving their body – completely forgoing the traditional complexities of music making. In this way, participants are empowered to focus entirely on being creative within the installation's dynamic environment. And when they're done, their new musical piece is instantly made available to download via a QR code, so they can revisit their sonic artwork any time.
"MUTATIONS began as a conversation between Jukka, Eli and myself, as we thought about how to create an installation that's more of an experience." says Johnson. With the team already familiar with Genelec audio solutions, known worldwide for intelligibility, even coverage and 24/7 reliability, deploying 4000 Series loudspeakers and 7000 Series subwoofers was a natural choice for effectively immersing visitors. And with Genelec's strong values surrounding inclusive access to the arts, there was a perfect level of synergy with MUTATIONS. Seattle-based composer, media artist and software engineer Eli Stine, already a globally recognised authority on audio-visual art, finds Genelec's loudspeaker characteristics indispensable, saying "Along with durability, having transparency, pristineness and high-quality audio is essential, so the participant feels they're creating music and not having a barrier of sound quality in between the creation and themselves."
Johnson explains "Foremost, MUTATIONS is about making music or sounds that tell a story, and pairing lights with that creates another layer of meaning." For this reason, Stine was brought into the team, bringing with him an exceptional ability to create and fuse music and visual art with complex programming – a skill he's used to great effect on a series of international projects that make for an impressive portfolio. Reminiscing about his early days, Stine says, "I got interested first in music, then I said, 'How can I work with motion, dance and visual arts?' To tether those things together, I needed to learn technology, so that's how I learned programming." From humble beginnings practising piano as a child, Stine has gone on to become a prolific creator and exhibitor, right at the forefront of using multichannel loudspeaker systems as a performance medium.
