Diploma Project Prototype
Created: Tue Dec 09 2025
Week 1 | Dec 8–12
Goals for the week
- Observe people with listening stick
- Make a hydrophone
Brainstorming
We started the week by talking about our thesis and what we would like to explore. The idea was that during our thesis, we should have conducted some field research that would inform our direction for our diploma project.
A mindmap with some initial ideas.
Exploring data as sound.
Soundscapes of La Jonction / a musical composition of the rivers.
Narrative based. Maybe a game?
Devices that are attached to your body so that you are always connected and reminded to nature (rather than constant notifications of emails, text messages, etc).
A collection of listening objects.
Objects based on fishing methods.
Listening Stick
For my thesis research, I made an object that I planned to use as a way to interview passerbys around the Rhône and Arve. I never got around to doing this so this will be on my list this week. I will observe how they use the object, where they go with the object, and take notes on how they describe the sounds coming from the object.
The original purpose of the listening stick is to detect leaks in pipes. However, I wonder what other possibilities there are, or at least us this as a starting point.
Does not work great like this. After trying with the water, I went underneath the bridge and was able to hear the vibrations of the train approaching and passing by above. Thinking of making a collection of objects to enable to people to explore the different sonic qualities of a location. The listening stick would be best for maybe sensing vehicles.
References
Mike Thompson - More Than Human Community Toolkit
Alexandre Joly - Listen to the Waves
Antoine Bertin - Various Works
Estonian Academy of Arts Students - Large Wooden Megaphones
Week 2 | Dec 15–19
Recording only captures the hydrophone banging against the rocks.
Built a hydrophone last week but wasn't successful. Did learn some things about soldering electronics. Would still like to attempt making this from scratch/DIY but think I will put this to the side for now and explore more low-fi ways of recording.
Dom gave me some piezo discs and I connected one to the listening stick. It worked surprisingly well.
Classmate drawing with the stick
Classmate waving to produce different sounds
Classmate playing like an instrument
People tend to want to play with the stick to see what sounds it can produce. When I finished making the device in the woodshop, the technician also tried to produce different sounds by banging a piece of wood on the metal rod.
Recordings from Listening Stick
Warning, not great because there's a lot of banging.
Viaduct
Path in Bois de la Batie
Passerelle Above L'Arve
Rhône Deck with Ladder by Buvette (1)
Rhône Deck with Ladder by Buvette (2)
Drawing with Water
What I learned from this is that people are intrigued by the fact that a simple object is able to produce sounds. The length of the stick also invites people to explore it since people want to touch it at different points. I also noticed in some of the recordings that you can also hear the birds above. What would be interesting is to explore sounds from above and sounds from below. Can the stick also pick up sounds from underneath if it's planted, while also capturing the sounds high up. Something poetic about listening to two opposite ends that we normally would not be able to hear in an environmental soundscape.
References
Hands
IrukaTact - Underwater Gloves with Haptic Feedback Gloves inspired by octopuses E-gloves for scuba communication Hydraulophone - Underwater Pipe Organ e-Textile Sensing Glove
Open Call
Week 3 | Jan 5–9
Week 4 Jan 12–15
IMPORTANT JAN 15 JURY DAY
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