Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/exhibitions/1141959691/

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

The growing field of sound design gives an audible voice to products, brands, and interfaces. Through sound, our digital devices and products tell us when we have completed a task, received a message, or achieved a goal. Now imagine this world of products with no sound—no chimes, buzzes, or rings. How does the lack of sound diminish the usefulness of products? How does sound enhance and inform your experience? This hands-on exhibition invites you to become a sound designer for Trash Bot, a street-cleaning machine. A sound designer uses melody, ambient sound, and special effects to communicate. Each sound you create will communicate Trash Bot’s actions and express the machine’s personality and emotions. As you design sounds for Trash Bot, think about how each sound will guide users through their interactions with Trash Bot and—just as importantly—transform an anonymous machine into an appealing, human-like presence.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18734863/

Record Cover, Persuasive Percussion

offset lithograph on white wove paper, gate-fold cardboard, black vinyl 33 1/3 rpm record
Gift of Mathew Weaver in honor of Lenora J. and Robert J. Weaver

pattern
dots
music
monochrome
black and white
rhythm
jazz
Bauhaus
album

Josef Albers studied and taught at the Bauhaus in Germany and then at Black Mountain College and Yale School of Art in the United States. These abstract album covers were commissioned by Charles E. Murphy, art director at Command Records. Murphy had been a student of Albers at Yale.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18734865/

Record Cover, Persuasive Percussion, Volume 3

offset lithograph on white wove paper, gate-fold cardboard, black vinyl 33 1/3 rpm record
Gift of Mathew Weaver in honor of Lenora J. and Robert J. Weaver

advertising
dots
rhythm
graphic designers
music lovers
syncopation

Josef Albers studied and taught at the Bauhaus in Germany and then at Black Mountain College and Yale School of Art in the United States. These abstract album covers were commissioned by Charles E. Murphy, art director at Command Records. Murphy had been a student of Albers at Yale.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18734867/

Record Cover, Provocative Percussion

offset lithograph on white wove paper, gate-fold cardboard, black vinyl 33 1/3 rpm record
Gift of Mathew Weaver in honor of Lenora J. and Robert J. Weaver

public
graphic design
pattern
music
square
clients
black and white
rhythm
geometric
music lovers

Josef Albers studied and taught at the Bauhaus in Germany and then at Black Mountain College and Yale School of Art in the United States. These abstract album covers were commissioned by Charles E. Murphy, art director at Command Records. Murphy had been a student of Albers at Yale.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18734869/

Album Cover, Provocative Percussion, Vol. III

Designed by Josef Albers
offset lithograph on white wove paper, gate-fold cardboard, black vinyl 33 1/3 rpm record
Gift of Mathew Weaver in honor of Lenora J. and Robert J. Weaver

graphic design
dots
abstraction
music
repetition
rhythm
grid
listeners
music lovers
Bauhaus

Josef Albers studied and taught at the Bauhaus in Germany and then at Black Mountain College and Yale School of Art in the United States. These abstract album covers were commissioned by Charles E. Murphy, art director at Command Records. Murphy had been a student of Albers at Yale.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1126132819/

Poster, Jazz Festival Willisau 2014

Designed by Annik Troxler
screenprint on paper
Courtesy of Annik Troxler

concert poster
jazz
women designers
swiss typography

Swiss graphic designer Annik Troxler creates posters each year for the Jazz Festival Willisau, held in a small town in Switzerland. She uses fluid concoctions of line, texture, and color to express the improvised character of jazz. Rather than visualizing specific pieces of music, the posters anticipate the range of music presented in the festivals. The Willisau Jazz Festival was founded in 1975 by Niklaus Troxler, Annik’s father, who designed the posters for thirty-five years. Cooper Hewitt acquired a set of Niklaus Troxler’s Willisau posters in 2009, courtesy of the artist.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1126132823/

Poster, Jazz Festival Willisau 2011

Designed by Paula Troxler
screenprint on paper
Courtesy of Annik Troxler

music
concert poster
jazz
screenprint
women designers
swiss typography

Swiss graphic designer Annik Troxler creates posters each year for the Jazz Festival Willisau, held in a small town in Switzerland. She uses fluid concoctions of line, texture, and color to express the improvised character of jazz. Rather than visualizing specific pieces of music, the posters anticipate the range of music presented in the festivals. The Willisau Jazz Festival was founded in 1975 by Niklaus Troxler, Annik’s father, who designed the posters for thirty-five years. Cooper Hewitt acquired a set of Niklaus Troxler’s Willisau posters in 2009, courtesy of the artist.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1126132825/

Poster, Jazz Festival Willisau 2013

Designed by Paula Troxler
screenprint on paper
Courtesy of Annik Troxler

music
concert poster
jazz
screenprint
women designers
swiss typography

Swiss graphic designer Annik Troxler creates posters each year for the Jazz Festival Willisau, held in a small town in Switzerland. She uses fluid concoctions of line, texture, and color to express the improvised character of jazz. Rather than visualizing specific pieces of music, the posters anticipate the range of music presented in the festivals. The Willisau Jazz Festival was founded in 1975 by Niklaus Troxler, Annik’s father, who designed the posters for thirty-five years. Cooper Hewitt acquired a set of Niklaus Troxler’s Willisau posters in 2009, courtesy of the artist.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1126132827/

Poster, Intimities 2009, Jazz Festival Willisau

Designed by Annik Troxler
screenprint on paper
Courtesy of Annik Troxler

music
biomorphic
concert poster
jazz
screenprint
women designers

Swiss graphic designer Annik Troxler creates posters each year for the Jazz Festival Willisau, held in a small town in Switzerland. She uses fluid concoctions of line, texture, and color to express the improvised character of jazz. Rather than visualizing specific pieces of music, the posters anticipate the range of music presented in the festivals. The Willisau Jazz Festival was founded in 1975 by Niklaus Troxler, Annik’s father, who designed the posters for thirty-five years. Cooper Hewitt acquired a set of Niklaus Troxler’s Willisau posters in 2009, courtesy of the artist.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959639/

Installation, Trashbot

Designed by Man Made Music

interaction
sound
game

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959641/

Installation, Dot Piano

Designed by Yotam Mann
software, keyboard, monitors

music
interaction
data visualization
piano
visualization

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959643/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

pattern
texture
felt
acoustic

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959647/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959649/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959651/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959653/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959655/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.

Hear, See, Play: Designing with Sound

https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/1141959657/

Fabric Panel, ARO Array Hanging Panel

Manufactured by FiltzFelt
100% wool design felt
Generous Gift of FilzFelt and Knoll

The 100% wool felt panels installed in this gallery absorb sound and prevent echoes. Surfaces that are soft, perforated, or molded with grooves and gaps not only control the overall loudness of a room but also make speech easier to understand. Echoes arrive a tiny bit later than sound waves heading directly to the ear; these late-breaking waves distort the pattern of the earlier ones, blurring the crisp sounds of conversation. Wool felt is a natural material used in many acoustic architectural products; felt is also used in the manufacture of audio equipment. The perforations enhance the product’s acoustic performance as well as producing a beautiful and elegant surface. According to the designers, the grid of rotating slashes in this pattern evokes the rhythm of a rain shower.