Michael Masaru Flora

CCRMA, Stanford, CA. 2015

At Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), I developed and exhibited a four channel installation that deconstructed a minor and major seventh chord. As a nod to the research history of CCRMA, I used the famous Yamaha DX7 synthesizer to voice my installation. The facility’s stairwell became the exhibition space. Each floor was equipped with it's own speaker that would emit an individual sustained note, so that in the case of the C minor seventh, the bottom floor corresponded with a C, second floor with a Eb, third floor with a G, and the fourth floor with a Bb. Due to the relatively open nature of the stairwell and wonderful acoustics of the space, a lush ambiance was created. The chord could be heard regardless of positioning in the space, however as one moved about the stairwell (up/down, side to side) certain frequencies would become more pronounced and different sonic phenomena would be perceived. The attached drawing details my floorplan for the C minor 7th chord. Exhibited June 2015 at CCRMA, Stanford University, Stanford