Holosonics’ Audio Spotlight Technology Beamed Focused Narratives in a Unique Exhibit at the

Williams College
Museum of Art 

Visitors to an exhibit at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) were immersed in a multi-sensory experience when they viewed a collection of artifacts and historical items, described by narratives that were beamed from Audio Spotlight directional speakers. The exhibit, which had focused on the Kingdom of Hawai'i in the 19th Century, utilized Audio Spotlight technology to describe individual items in very close proximity to each other, without creating any sound bleed from one display to the next.

The museum curators installed several ceiling-mounted AS-16i directional sound speakers that played a variety of interviews and historical accounts describing the collection that made up the exhibit. Inside each Audio Spotlight speaker, microSD cards stored exhibit audio, eliminating the need for external playback devices or unnecessary additional wiring, while motion sensor triggers embedded in each unit activated playback automatically, based on a patron's entry into the area where the beam of sound was focused.

The audio narratives described the exhibit, which was based on a cache of objects that were discovered in a box in the basement of a dormitory at Williams College in 1986. Inside the box were dozens of objects, including garments and weapons that were obtained from the Kingdom of Hawai'i in the 19th Century for the Williams College Lyceum of Natural History. 

Audio Spotlight technology provided a perfect fit to tell the stories of the Hawaiian artifacts without creating sound bleed from one display to the next. Individual AS-16i speakers at each display produced narrow beams of sound to describe items that included an ankle ornament worn by tribespeople that was made of dog teeth, images of Hawaiian hula dancers, and a portrait of King Kalakauna, the last king and penultimate monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi.

For its use in museums like the Williams College Museum of Art or other similar settings and applications, the flexible and self-powered Audio Spotlight directional speaker is a powerful tool, ensuring that any exhibit has its own isolated audio, captivating visitors with an immersive, personal experience, while keeping the surrounding area quiet.

The exhibit, entitled The Field is the World: Williams Hawai'i and Material Histories in the Making, was on display at the WCMA from Sept. 1, 2018 to Dec. 21, 2018.

Audio Spotlight by Holosonics would love to speak to you about your directional audio needs. Please complete the form below to request more information on Audio Spotlight by Holosonics. An Audio Spotlight Representative will respond within one business day to discuss your controlled audio needs.

ADVANTAGES

• Sound for specific displays - and quiet elsewhere.

• Several soundtracks in one room - without disturbing others or interfering with one another.

• Untethered sound delivery, without the need for messy headphone wires or unsanitary handsets.

SELECTED CUSTOMERS

International
Tate Modern, UK
Centre Pompidou, France
DDR Museum, Germany
Venice Biennale, Italy
Train World, Belgium
National Museum of Ireland
Royal Alberta Museum, Canada
Science Centre, Singapore
Auckland Museum, New Zealand
MACBA, Spain
Primorsky Aquarium, Russia
Schirn Kunsthalle, Germany

Domestic
Guggenheim, New York NY
Smithsonian, Washington DC
Field Museum, Chiacgo IL
Exploratorium, San Francisco CA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA
LACMA, Los Angeles CA
Perot Museum of Nature & Science, Dallas TX
The Ringling, Sarasota FL
Peabody Museum, Cambridge MA
St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis MO
Space Needle, Seattle WA
National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown NY