The Acouspade XLS directional speaker used in a new work by Chet J. Udell: Sonic Tidepools: Stride Meets Tide. Interactive Sound/Light Sculpture, Gladys Valley Marine Science Building, Newport, Oregon state University, USA. April 1 – June 1 2026
Acouspade ultrasonic directional stereo speakers create magical audio bubbles where you hear sound coming from one specific region depending on where you stand in the hallway. Like wearing headphones with nothing on your head! Running (walking or standing) up and down the hallway transports you through these regions. The tempo-synced footsteps create a seamless crossfade across the different audio bubbles. Each person experiences the same rhythm but hears it differently depending on where the hallway they are. A colored light at each region responds to the sound, articulating differences of each region.
This project is a way of navigating through Newport, Oregon coastal region by sound. I ran through four regions: the estuary trail, the marina and south jetty, the bridge and historic downtown, and Yaquina Head. A flashing metronome kept my pace steady at 156 beats per minute. The run became a kind of musical performance: me as percussionist, and the landscape as the instrument. With a microphone at my feet, wood, metal, sand, stone, and water each answer differently, revealing the distinct character of each place through rhythm and resonance. Microphones in my ears capture the ambience of each moment, you hear what I hear. The result is an invitation to join my embodied experience and discover how sound can build a sense of self, environment, and place. This work took on three different expressions. Three different dimensions of one conceptual work.
