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Holon: a cybernetic interface for bio-semiotics

Jon McCormack, Elliott Wilson

TL;DR

Holon investigates non-linguistic, multi-agent sonic interaction by deploying 130 autonomous, solar-powered cybernetic devices that listen and respond to their acoustic environment. The system groups agents into composer/generator, collector/critic, and disruptor roles to generate, collect, and perturb sounds, creating a dynamic, place-specific soundscape that embodies the notion of sonic agency. By integrating cybernetic life with ecological contexts, Holon advances sound-based interfaces beyond monitoring or sonification, offering empirical observations from a 19-day urban installation and suggesting pathways for bio-machine co-existence and environmental awareness through situated sonic exchanges.

Abstract

This paper presents an interactive artwork, "Holon", a collection of 130 autonomous, cybernetic organisms that listen and make sound in collaboration with the natural environment. The work was developed for installation on water at a heritage-listed dock in Melbourne, Australia. Conceptual issues informing the work are presented, along with a detailed technical overview of the implementation. Individual holons are of three types, inspired by biological models of animal communication: composer/generators, collector/critics and disruptors. Collectively, Holon integrates and occupies elements of the acoustic spectrum in collaboration with human and non-human agents.

Holon: a cybernetic interface for bio-semiotics

TL;DR

Holon investigates non-linguistic, multi-agent sonic interaction by deploying 130 autonomous, solar-powered cybernetic devices that listen and respond to their acoustic environment. The system groups agents into composer/generator, collector/critic, and disruptor roles to generate, collect, and perturb sounds, creating a dynamic, place-specific soundscape that embodies the notion of sonic agency. By integrating cybernetic life with ecological contexts, Holon advances sound-based interfaces beyond monitoring or sonification, offering empirical observations from a 19-day urban installation and suggesting pathways for bio-machine co-existence and environmental awareness through situated sonic exchanges.

Abstract

This paper presents an interactive artwork, "Holon", a collection of 130 autonomous, cybernetic organisms that listen and make sound in collaboration with the natural environment. The work was developed for installation on water at a heritage-listed dock in Melbourne, Australia. Conceptual issues informing the work are presented, along with a detailed technical overview of the implementation. Individual holons are of three types, inspired by biological models of animal communication: composer/generators, collector/critics and disruptors. Collectively, Holon integrates and occupies elements of the acoustic spectrum in collaboration with human and non-human agents.
Paper Structure (12 sections, 8 figures)

This paper contains 12 sections, 8 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Paper Contributions
  3. Background and Related Work
  4. Soundscapes
  5. Sound and Voice in Interactive Art
  6. Soundscape Ecology
  7. Holon
  8. Technical Details
  9. Operation and Results
  10. Conclusion
  11. Acknowledgements
  12. Author(s) Biographies)

Figures (8)

  • Figure 1: Holon installation at Docklands waterfront in Melbourne, August 2023. Individual holons are attached to the heritage-listed pillars (formally used in the previous century to dock ships) using a thin steel pole strapped to the white cones on top of the pillars, making them appear to float above the pillars.
  • Figure 2: Schematic diagram of an individual holon.
  • Figure 3: Closeup images of the collector/critic holon (left) and generator/composer holon (right), showing the location of the speaker, microphone and solar panel. Identical microphone/speaker combinations are also present on the opposite side of each (not visible in the figure).
  • Figure 4: The three different holons: composer/generator (left), collector/critic (middle) and disruptor (right).
  • Figure 5: The Holon circuit broad design (left) and assembled PCB (CAD rendering, right)
  • ...and 3 more figures