Amplifying Collective Resilience in Breakwall
Megan Young · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · 2023
Breakwall is a public venue and responsive site for learning and unlearning in community. The work's interactive design amplifies collective action and individual agency through a shared exploration of natural materials, resonance, and embodiment inspired by the Earth's hydrosphere. It takes its name from the piles of rubble, wood, or caisson offering a first line of defense against shoreline erosion in coastal areas. Those breakwater forms, and especially their distributed structures, provide a biomimetic model for its interactive design. Performers and participants explore the sonorous properties of sand, wood, and paper while specialized piezo sensors and custom software process and broadcast an assemblage of sonic textures. The soundscape features repetition and contrapuntal patterns driving the non-linear experience. This case study outlines key design choices and conceptual undercurrents. It provides insight into the work's ensemble devising methods and influences from social justice movement work. Participants find resilience in patience, fortitude, and shared memory; they find each other in the whispers between the noise.