Echo(): Listening to the Reflection of Obsolete Technology

This paper introduces two interfaces developed under the theme of 'echo()', which explores HCI and design creativities from reflective and reuse practices on broken and obsolete technologies. In this series of projects, diverse old and mundane electronics have been collected and repurposed to provide heuristic spaces where the audience can playfully communicate with forgotten materiality and outdated functionality. The first version of echo() is a sound interactive installation where the visual components of the installation respond to the frequency and volume of the audience's vocal sound. The second version of echo() is an eight channels electronic controller that allows a user to automatically switch eight different electronic devices on and off according to the selected tempo. This paper describes the concept, related works, and technical details of this project.