Sonic Pixels @ Barton Arcade

Step into a world of sound with Sonic Pixels. Wander through the stunning Victorian shopping mall, trigger speakers in real-time and experience what it feels like to be right at the heart of sonic compositions inspired by and interpreting this unique building and its history – by sound artists Jaydev Mistry, Gemma Nash, Owl Project and Cornbrook Creative.

Sonic Pixels is a novel sound delivery system – 24 overhead, remote-controlled, mini-speakers arranged in a regular grid like pixels on a screen, that allows us to ‘draw’, ‘paint’ and ‘animate’ with sound.

Originally developed as a mini-commission for Manchester Science Festival 2017, Sonic Pixels @ Barton Arcade will:

• deploy and showcase the artwork in a unique, historical, city-centre venue as part of Manchester Science Festival 2018;
• extend the capability of the system in collaboration with CodeBug;
• explore the system’s creative potential by inviting three sound artists from our network to realise site-specific interventions into the venue – ‘By Day’ (10am-6pm) as a ‘sonic backdrop’ to everyday activity and ‘By Night’ (6-10.30pm) as a live performance system and interactive sound art installation accessible to the general public;
• and with educational input from the Foundation for Digital Creativity develop Sonic Pixels as an ‘art-technology toolkit’ for creative play and learning  – via a series of ’hands-on’ workshops for children with complex learning needs at Hawthorns School, Audenshaw culminating in a public showcase as part of the exhibition.