Auditory Illusions
An Exercise in Audio-Spatial Relationships

Illusions are not anything new. Visual or optical illusions, although popular, are not the only form which can be illustrated. In fact,there are examples of illusions which effect any of the senses and even some that combine more than one that demonstrate the interplay of these senses. The idea of an illusion being something which distorts or confuses ones perception of reality by taking advantage of the brain’s assumptions is intriguing. Where else but in these little tricks can one discover the boundaries of sensory reality and toy with them?

Normally, we experience our motion through several senses: sight (depth perception), hearing (head related transfer function and spatial effects), touch (gravitational effect), and the pseudo sense, balance. How these change over time gives us even further information about our position relative to all of the things from which these environmental variables are traveling.

This installation aims to discover the relation of sound and space as perceived by humans; particularly how we position ourselves based on our perceived notions about the sounds we hear. By eliminating vision, and manipulating environmental sound, it aims to make clear the ways in which these senses define our surroundings and can even promote false assumptions. Auditory Illusions consists of four-speaker surround sound, motion tracking through wiimote input, housed within a small, dark space. Users wear head-mounted LED’s which motion tracking will interpret. Moving through the space, users experience various auditory impossibilities such as environmental sound that follows them as they turn causing it to seem as if they cannot rotate within their surroundings.