Audio Graffiti: A Location Based Audio-Tagging and Remixing Environment

Technological advances in mobile computing, wireless communications, 3-D audio simulation, global positioning systems (GPS), and distributed data management have opened the door to novel multi-user mobile application spaces. These advances have allowed for a focus on location-based audiovisual content, ranging from navigation displays to distributed gaming, not to mention the serious potential for the arts, including music performance and installations. In our demonstration of Audio Graffiti, we explore novel modes of interaction with sound and space. Set in an outdoor “audio augmented” environment, we allow several mobile users to create and explore a gradually evolving wall of audio graffiti. Equipped with headsets and small mobile computers, each participant can ‘tag’ or ‘spray’ the wall with their audio, mixing in with pre-existing musical material. Others can walk about, experiencing a mix that changes based on their position and movement, resulting in a collaborative jamming and personal remixing space.