Sound design for nonlinear artefacts: models for sound design in the transformation between linear and nonlinear artefacts.

Abstract

This thesis contextualizes the portfolio of related works that I created in the period from 2009 to 2011, which involved applied sound design for both linear and nonlinear artefacts, within the fields of fine art and urban design. It recounts the research, the concepts and the themes that inform the works in the portfolio. The main subject matter is the difference between linear and nonlinear artefacts and how this influences the sound design for these artefacts. The study discusses the design decisions based on a proposed framework of concepts, models and definitions. The framework is devised from a study on the theory and practice of sound design for existing nonlinear artefacts, such as digital games and virtual reality. The material is explored in, and reinterpreted for, the contexts of fine art and urban design. The conceptual relation between these two fields is explained. There is a focus on the refashioning of content from linear to nonlinear formats and reverse, as this is an essential element in the design of the presented works. Key issues addressed are: the difference between linear structures as a fixed trajectory, and nonlinear structures as fluid systems; their difference in time-structure; transformation between these formats; and synchrony between sound and visual elements. A semiotic approach to nonlinearity is connected to the architecture of adaptive systems. From there concepts for sound design are formulated. The resulting framework that is provided from the point of view of the maker can form a counterpoint to the