Laoban Soundsystem Infinite Baffle with its face off

Over on my personal blog,I posted some comments about the Laoban Infinite Baffle:

The latest soundsystem, Laoban Infinite Baffle, that Matt Hope and myself have built, is now on display as part of Kunsthalle Kowloon organized, and Fabricatorz supported, Border Show 2011. There have already been write-ups by CNN and The New York Times, some in print, with more coming soon. Thanks to all who came out to the opening and supported the show. Next up is that we want to ship this work to other art spaces, shows and events around the world. It would take about a month to ship anywhere in the world, and you have a great news-getter for live events in front of your favorite gallery, space, or show. Contact us.

Matt Hope, Robin Peckham, Venus Lau and I worked super hard last week to make the Laoban Soundsystem Infinite Baffle reali-D (that’s the 2.0.11 realidad for kind readers of this reBlog).

Robin and Matt Framed

Also, Robin sent us some PDFs of discussion about the pieces from press outlets CNNGo review, CNNGo Chinese, SCMP Preview, and NYT Preview.

Infinite Baffle Bare, Picture by Matt Hope

There will be more, surely :)

UPDATE: Here are some interview questions about the system via Matt:

1. Where did you get the inspiration for your artpiece and how does it echoes the theme of Border Crossing?

The inspiration for The Infinite baffle came from the idea that a standard shipping container could be transformed into a simple acoustical device by blocking the open mouth with a wall of speakers. Within the field of audio engineering the 'Infinite baffle' is a form of speaker cabinet design in which the driver unit is completely enclosed- cut off from the surrounding space, this differs from the 'open baffle' or 'bass reflex' ( speaker boxes with holes and vents whereby tuned air is allowed to pass more easily). The primary purpose of ALL speaker boxes is to separate the in phase and out of phase sound waves with some kind of barrier or enclosure- essentially a wall. The innards of the shipping container that usually house consumer goods is transformed into pressurised audio container. . . quarter of a wave length of out phase with the surrounding output. . .

2. What is (are) the challenge(s) of turning a cargo container into a giant speaker?

The first challenge was to research and establish the exact ISO dimensions of a standard shipping container, these parameters are regulated by an international body that all countries are supposed to adhere in order for global trade to function. The Infinite baffle must fit inside any standard container regardless of it place or manufacture. Upon installation a temporary seal or gland will be applied to join the two structures in order to separate the in phase and out of phase sound waves. Incidentally the length of the container will tune the output , the infinite baffle will have an acoustic cut-off frequency of 57 hertz. Thus the volumetric capacity of the container will determine its sonic range. . . The audio fidelity of this device will not be hi fi, large metal boxes do not make the ideal acoustic space. Shipping containers were designed to keep out the elements and thieves, prior to containerisation in 1968 nearly one 3rd of all goods were 'lifted' . lost or stolen in transit

Here are some answers to the same interviewer I put together, so mix up the two answers :)

1. Where did you get the inspiration for your artpiece and how does it echoes the theme of Border Crossing?

Matt Hope (http://matthope.org) and I (http://rejon.org) did previous work using a trash compactor as a temporary space to make events, but also to serve as an instant readymade:

http://rejon.org/projects/compaction/

We have many battle plans ready, both individually and together, and we have done several projects with shipping containers. So we responded to the creative constraints of the shipping container
context Robin and Venus provided and combined that with our interest in manufacturing in China and making sound systems. The last big system we made is the Laoban Soundsystem used as part of Get It Louder in Beijing: http://laoban-soundsystem.com

You can't get much more literal about shipping than a shipping container, right? hahaha.

There is also something humorous about border shows to us. When we were in grad school at UC San Diego there always seemed to be tension between the wealthy San Diego side of the border and the poor, seemingly dangerous side of the border, Tijuana. The tension between the border in Hong Kong and Shenzhen is way less than the paranoid one-way valve of the USA/Mexico border in San Diego. Hong Kong and Shenzhen are optimized for business and the Chinese government is allowing an increase in economic and human throughput whereas with the USA/Mexico border, the US is building crazy electrified fences and keeping big guns on people who try to illegally cross. Its an interesting comparison to do see the social activist art work being created by Ruben Ortiz and others in San Diego/Tijuana versus the more economic/shipping-minded themes in this show, although you could make some similar claims if you wanted to go there.

So, the main front of the container is a piece Matt designed up and we had fabricated in the south of china. It will be delivered on-site and we will attach it to the front of the speaker for use next week. No
shipping containers will be hurt with our project. Rather, the shipping container is being augmented and put into the service of sound production rather than using its normal function of shipping goods across the border.

3. How different will the experience be when your soundsystem is fabricated in a cargo container?

Well, its actually attached to the entrance of the container. Its really empty. So, we are converting the shipping container into what is normally considered a speaker box, which has a function in tuning
the bass and providing a resonance chamber for the sound. The front baffle we are manufacturing has 40 speakers, and the empty space will resonate from that sound. The doors are movable so we can shape where the sound will project out of the front entrance of the container.

We originally wanted to build the entire sound system into the shipping container and make it so the sides are removable. We can do that project later and with more money. In some ways, its better that
we are not changing the shipping container at all, which the entire container holding a traditional soundsystem, would do. This is just bolt-on, turn-on.

The interesting thing for Matt and I is that we haven't actually seen the fabricated piece other than mediated pictures and renderings. So, always when you build a new system, its a new experience to hear how it *really* sounds and make sure it all fits together.

Matt in particular has a lot of experience manufacturing things in China, so we are pretty confident it will work well and make some thunderous bass.

2. What is(are) the challenge(s) of turning a cargo container into a giant speaker?

Matt can speak more to this, but now when we make sound systems, we design them with computer software and Autocad, then have a manufacturer make them in Guangdong. The speaker makers have a lot of experience with this type of production. For this project, we are having a metal fabricator make the front of the speaker with all the parts ready for assembly. They will deliver to the shipping container and we will complete the installation and test it all out.

It always takes a lot of work making sure everything fits in really well, coordinating the fabrication and then getting Matt and I to Hong Kong to complete the project.

Its just a lot of coordination, not to mention getting lots of people to the event and music to play through it. We really want to ship it to other cities around the world. If you have a space, email us! info@laoban-soundsystem.com

3. What will be played during the show and why?

We treat these projects as vessels for sound. Matt and I will DJ on them, and we have some other guests from the PRD lined up to give them a go. Art shows are always different from throwing parties because often people want to talk more, have some drinks, swoop in and out. However, Matt and I like to throw parties and see what can unfold. The other side of that is hiring DJs who are often in it for the check and not the love. We always want people who love to play and have a go on the system to get a chance on it.

Also, in line with our Laoban Soundsystem project, all the plans will be given away on our site and we will capture as much as we can about the event. We want to do more events with this system all over the planet.

For this event, we will treat the earlier time in the night as art event and transition to more fun later on.

We have been calling this project the Laoban Container or Laoban Infinite Baffle. If you are a DJ or make music, come check out the show and plugin to our new soundsystem! http://laoban-soundsystem.com

The Fabricatorz are on the road this week, kicking off 2011 the right way. Founder, Jon Phillips will be teaming up with Matt Hope to bring the Laoban Soundsystem to The Border Show. The exhibition, organized by The Society for Experimental Cultural Production, features recent art concerning border mechanisms of the Pearl River Delta:

Taking place inside a set of shipping containers placed amid the hulking post-industrial buildings of the New Territories halfway between the urban cores of Hong Kong and Shenzhen, this exhibition proposes a new relationship between these two cities and the wider region by approaching the ontology of the border crossing.

The event kicks off on January 8 (running through the 28th of the month). Laoban will be providing the musical backdrop for the entire opening evening!

In the coming weeks, Laoban Soundsystem will be releasing new plans, photos, and even more media through it's homepage. For more details on The Border Show, check out the event page, and look check this space again soon for recaps and photos from Hong Kong!

So you want to make it louder? More hardcore? Come get hard, low and deep with the Laoban Soundsystem crew at Sanlitun SoHo on Thursday, September 23 from 9 PM onward in the basement of the mall behind the Get It Louder Pavilion. Bringing the bass is Aussie Little Wu (Dave Thompson) cutting minimal techo, TommyBoy from UK cranking old school jungle, Rez and Marula tripping the drum and bass switch from the Spanish Corelabs and Get It Louder curator Jiancui mixing it up from an iPad. Also, echoing Mall Rats and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, Laoban Soundsystem founders Matt Hope (UK/Beijing) and Jon Phillips (SF/Beijing) will chop n screw up dancehall, drum and bass and dirty southern hip hop through the 6000 watts of pure sound through the aptly titled, Laoban Soundsystem 2.0. Communing at the new Chinese commodified temple where money ain't a thing, hustling visual imagery without spending a dime, and expanding conversation with a pure sound and video experience that exemplifies the sound clash heard from Kingston, you don't want to miss this realideal. Invite your friends, spread the news, and let's get it louder!

If you want to get harder, visit: http://laoban-soundsystem.com

• Who
  
  
  
  • Laoban Soundsystem (http://laoban-soundsystem.com/)
  
  
  • Little Wu (Dave Thompson) (Australia/Electric Forrest) glitch/dubstep/minimal http://www.electricforest.info/
  
  
  • Tommy Boy (UK) drum and bass
  
  
  • Rez and Marula (Spain/Corelabs Beijing) drum and bass, http://corelabs.cn
  
  
  • Matt Hope (DJ set, UK/Beijing/Laoban) drum and bass, http;//matthope.org
  
  
  • Jon Phillips (SF/Beijing/Laoban) dirty southern chopped n screwed hiphop, http://rejon.org
  
  
  • Jiancui (Beijing/Get It Louder), http://www.getitlouder.com
  
  
  • With inspiration from Neill Mclean Gaddes and Yijing Xu (http://sanspractice.com/), Ou Ning, LuJia, lil Chris, Sophie, and more :)
  
  
  
  


• What
  
  
  
  • Mall Party, Laoban-only Event
  
  



• When
  
  
  
  • Thursday, Sept 23, 2010, 9 PM - midnight at least
  
  
  
  


• Where
  
  
  
  • Sanlitun SOHO, Inside the mall, ground floor (http://www.sohosanlitun.com)
  
  
  • http://www.getitlouder.com/CnSonorIntro.aspx?ID=19 (chinese)
    
  
  
  • http://www.getitlouder.com/EnSonorIntro.aspx?ID=19 (english)
    
  
  
  • Google Maps: http://ur1.ca/1qffh
  
  
  
  

Updates

Little Wu (Little Five), aka David Thompson
http://soundcloud.com/littlefivemusic

Hailing from the shores of Australia, Little Five has been globetrotting for the last seven years stopping off in Europe, America and now China. Weaving together sounds from all sides of the table, his sets are full of energy and excitement a journey to the dark side.

Expect Techno, Tribal, Tech House.

We are just going to keep tacking on more friends as they come together here!

The Fabricatorz are charging through a week filled with sets of hotly-anticipated projects and collaborative efforts. Just today, Fabricatorz Founding Developer Jon Phillips led the way in the Announcing Laoban Soundsystem 2.0 and it's associated debut at Get It Louder in Beijing (beginning at 7:00pm, this Sunday, September 19). Christopher Adams, who has been hard at work on Get It Louder organization, will be present at the event, alongside Jon.

Also just Released, Laoban-Soundsystem.com, the latest in an exciting lineup of new pages developed under Fabricatorz Developer Bassel Safadi, and his Aiki Framework. Visitors to Laoban Soundsystem's new homepage will find details of Laoban-powered events, as well as official documentation and steps to take to replicate these 6000-watt beasts.

Speaking of Aiki Framework, Bassel continues behind-the-scenes plowing, as the platform encroaches ever nearer it's 0.5 Release. Enthusiasts can stay tuned in to Fabricatorz and expect a new iteration in the very near future!

Another Aiki-Powered Project, The Open Clip Art Library, is fast moving up it's Release Schedule and adding new features, to boot. Fabricatorz Developer Brad Phillips has inserted a new 'Community Status Updates' Section, at the base of the home page sidebar, in which the latest updates from the Open Clip Art Library StatusNet Page are featured.

Check this space again soon, for more on Get It Louder, Sharism, and other projects and events in the Fabricatorz Universe!

September brings a slew of new projects and events for the Fabricatorz Team, and week has us off to quite a productive start!

Kicking things off, Matt Hope and Jon Phillips' qi-hardware-based Laoban Soundsystem has been grabbing headlines. Last Saturday (September 4, 2010), the copyleft Soundsystem headlined it's first event, a massive outdoor jam: In Bass We Trust, in Beijing. Another event, the Opening of Get It Louder, will be Loaban-driven on September 19, 2010. Also look for the Soundsystem at the Sharism Forum on October 22. Laoban's home page also recently went live, making it another in a series of sites now relying on Fabricatorz Developer Bassel Safadi's Aiki Framework. Be sure and bookmark these pages to keep up to speed on this increasingly prevalent platform!

Speaking of Aiki Framework, alongside Open Clip Art 2.5, Bassel announced it's evolution: Version 0.4. Features and user interface adjustments remain a focus on this ever-efficient web platform. Users can also expect key SQL bug fixes in this new Release.

The Open Clip Art Library 2.5 arrival brought with it several key directives, including a new Activities Section on the home page, designed by Fabricatorz Developer Brad Phillips. Be sure and check out the latest Themed Clip Art Package while soaking in the latest OCAL implementation.

Additionally, Jon has contributed artwork to Congresswoman Woolsey's Art of Politics fundraiser, which takes place this Saturday, September 11, 2010.

Check this space again soon for more on these projects and upcoming announcements!