Embodied Tuning: Interfacing Danish Radio Heritage

Most museum exhibitions favor vision, not hearing. When there is audio in exhibitions it tends to take on a secondary role as soundtrack or commentary. In some cases however audio is the primary object of interest. Radio heritage is such a case. The traditional way of showcasing audio is through web accessible archives or through listening kiosks in the exhibition. Neither one takes advantage of the unique affordances of the physicality of an exhibition. Instead they most often rely on users clicking through menus, playlists and folders. We therefore propose an alternative way of exhibiting radio heritage where users move around and explore the physical room.
We implemented a simple low-cost prototype system called Exaudimus that uses webcams to track visitors in a gallery. Using Exaudimus we position audio around the gallery allowing users to search for the audio streams using their own bodies as a metaphorical radio tuning dial.
We tested the concept in a public exhibition at the Media Museum in Denmark. A small qualitative user study conducted in the exhibition shows promise for this type of immersive experience. The users however tend to perceive it as a unique and finite experience, not motivating them to further explore radio heritage on their own afterwards.