Vessel

From 2072 to 2076, a landmark gas giant study was carried out by British scientists aboard IMB Algebraist, a cruise vessel redesigned into a laboratory ship.. They discovered a new form of life responding to curious audio phenomenon. Studying and synthesizing the tones from the vessel allowed them to form communion with the entity...
Based on the science fiction novel the Algebraist, monk like figures convene with billion year old squid entities to learn their higher knowledge of the order of the universe, whose existence lie within an alternate order of space time. This interactive experience is a harmonious communal engagement. Vessel exists itself in an alternate landscape of both space and time, where communication with higher entities alters consciousness. It is built upon a multi-sensory system of networks and devices which serves as a metaphor for the human network and subsequent interconnectedness. As the enabling technology becomes more transparent, the potential for new forms of human interaction become possible.


Vessel is a multiplayer synthesizer environment controlled from mobile devices in a 360 degree projection dome. Mobile UI controls synthesized audio and a drone vessel that appears in the projected visuals. The compass from their mobile device controls the placement of the vessel and panning of it's synthesized tones across a quad or 5.1 surround sound system. The vessels create melodies together, interacting with other projected entities.

Vessel is developed in JavaScript, WebGL, Node.js, Native Instruments Reaktor, and Unity.

This project has existed in two previous iterations, Choral Aurora (2017) and PollySynth(2013).


Audio and Web Programming: Ray McClure
Unity3D Design and Programming: Chelley Sherman