Coca-Cola Beatbox during the Olympics 2012 in London
During the London 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, sponsor Coca-Cola presented the ‘Beatbox’ pavilion in the middle of the Olympic Park. The arena combines architectural design and sound technology to produce an “artwork” where guests can walk in and create music. 230 red and white translucent synthetic cushions – 40 of them sound-emitting and touch-sensitive – were produced to make up the punk crystalline facade of the pavilion.
iart’s audio and interaction technology is integrated into 40 ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene) membranes all over the building and allows visitors to “play” the pavilion like an instrument, just by touching the cushions. To enable this effect, iart created a structure sensitive to movement and touch, reacting with a series of pre-recorded sounds. Through sound, vibration and LED light activation, visitors experience the immediate tonal, tactile and visual feedback. The interactivity of the façade brings the pavilion to live offering a unique visitors’ experience.
Thus, creative engineering skills made the architects’ vision of interactivity become reality. iart developed this musical instrument from proof of concept to solution in close collaboration with the architects, the sound designers and the general contractor Nüssli. The task included the design of the loudspeakers, the development of sensors sensitive to distance, velocity and touch, the implementation of an IT based control system, the lighting design, the design of the interactive cushions as well as the system development.
Media Reports (selection):
Multimedia-Freaks reisen an, Der Sonntag, Nr. 36, 9. September 2012
Coca-Cola Beatbox by Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt, on frameweb.com, 20 July 2012
Coca-Cola Beatbox by Asif Khan and Pernilla Ohrstedt, on dezeen.com, 20 July 2012
Unveiled: Amazing Coca-Cola Pavilion For The London Olympics, on architizer.com, 20 July 2012
Coca-Cola reveals spectacular Olympic Park pavilion, on despoke.com, 20 July 2012
Asif Khan & Pernilla Ohrstedt: Coca-Cola Beatbox, on domusweb.it, 20 July 2012
The Coca-Cola Beatbox
Projective capacitive sensor in white cushion
August 9th, 2012, 13:55
[...] der Nacht zum Strahlen gebracht werden. Diese besonderen Membran-Kissen wurden von der Basler Firma iArt in nur einem Monat Entwicklungszeit realisiert und sind in jedem Fall einen Ausflug [...]