Below noise level.
Immersive phygital installation on the value of everyday experience.
Personal Experience
Underground, the familiar world ceases to exist.While exploring subterranean spaces, I noticed how the perception of the surroundings changes. In the absence of daylight and usual landmarks, you begin to notice things you normally overlook: sounds, textures, air temperature, your own footsteps.
Artistic Challenge
We stop noticing what is constantly around us. Daily life consists of numerous sensations that seem insignificant at first glance. Gradually, they become background noise, giving way to events, tasks, and the constant flow of information. The project investigates whether it is possible to bring attention back to the familiar through a temporary deprivation of the usual environment. Philosophical framework: I propose leaning on Viktor Shklovsky’s concept of defamiliarization. The essence of this technique is to lift the familiar from automatic perception and make it palpable once more.
Viktor Shklovsky — «Art as Device,» 1917.
Concept
Underground space as a tool for perceptual reframing.
«Below the Noise Level» is an interactive installation shaped like an industrial tunnel where digital imagery, light, sound, and physical sensations gradually transform the nature of the environment. The viewer traverses a journey from an alienated industrial space to recognizable images of everyday life. Here, digital technologies do not replace reality; they help draw attention to it.
Spatial Dramaturgy
01 Isolation Cold light, the hum of mechanical systems, concrete, a sense of confinement. The space feels alien.
02 Manifestation Fragments of familiar reality emerge on the walls: light through foliage, the sound of rain, natural textures. The space responds to the viewer’s presence.
03 Presence The digital layer fades. All that remains are soft light, silence, and simple physical sensations.
The Logic of Audience Interaction
The space reacts to attention. The viewer’s movement activates the digital layers of the tunnel.
As one approaches certain sections, images and sounds emerge. When the viewer pauses, the visual stream slows, allowing for closer examination of individual details.
Thus, the deceleration becomes not an instruction, but a mode of interaction with the artwork.
A critical point: interactivity must be meaningful, not merely decorative.
Preliminary Technical Rider
Ventilation, non-slip flooring, accessible routes, safe evacuation procedures, and the absence of standing water in visitor paths must also be accounted for. Precise dimensions, power requirements, and electrical specifications will be finalized after a venue is selected.
Diagram
Location
For the installation «Below the Level of Noise,» the area of the former MELZ incandescent lamp factory on Elektrozavodskaya Street is proposed. Utilizing the actual underground collectors for a public exhibition is complicated by access restrictions and safety requirements. Therefore, the optimal solution is to create an artificial tunnel within the industrial space. The factory architecture, technical utilities, and the atmosphere of industrial isolation organically complement the artistic concept. Furthermore, the space allows for control over light, sound, projections, and the visitor’s path, preserving the sense of immersion in an underground environment.
