The Search for Harmony
Interactive Installation
Melbourne Design Week, 2021
What does the Earth sound like without us? The Search for Harmony explored the anthropause through a responsive light sculpture, translating seismic frequencies into water, ripples, and light, and asking visitors to consider what their presence disturbs.
The starting point was a strange fact: during the COVID-19 lockdowns, the Earth's seismic readings changed. With human activity paused simultaneously for the first time since the industrial era, scientists recorded a measurable quieting of the planet, a moment known as the anthropause. The Search for Harmony used that moment as a starting point, asking what it means to step back and observe the undisturbed.
At the heart of the installation was a large reflective drum filled with water, with a spotlight above and a speaker beneath. As visitors moved closer, the system responded, vibrating the water at frequencies drawn from anthropause seismic data. The ripples projected onto the wall through cymatics, moving from stillness to disturbance in direct response to the visitor's presence. An ambient soundscape of field recordings held the space between interactions.
This project was developed as part of a Master of Design at RMIT University. The full research document explores the science of resonance, the anthropause, and the design process behind the installation.
- Jorge Arreola: Concept, Design, Technical Development, Sound Design & Installation