2015
Country: CZ
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In 2011, Acuo has been launched, landing on the Náměstí Republiky Square in Prague. Whilst entering the interior of this interactive audiovisual technological experiment, visitors experienced an altered reality of the outer world. The sound, which Acuo spreads with its six directional microphones is transformed through real-time effects into limitless space sonic and musical collages, which emanate inside from six speakers. Furthermore, Acuo captures its environs with 3 cameras and projects the images on LED walls, which cover the whole interior in a punctal distance of individual „pixels“ of 5 cm.

Acuo also has a „sonic periscope“, an ultra sensitive directional microphone, through which the visitor with headphones on can search for details in the sonic landscape that surrounds Acuo. Acuo also broadcasts a stereophonic mix live into its surroundings via its radio FM waves. Prior to Acuo’s departure from Náměstí Republiky, its creators organised a concert with leading local musicians, which was only audible through aforementioned FM waves. And thus, visitors – coinciding with the start of the quiet night law – experienced improvisation, thanks to loops and other effects on their headphones and radios.

A year later, Acuo embarked on its journey across the Czech Republic, in order to record 12 sonically interesting locations with its 6 microphones. The recordings were then given to leading Czech and Slovak producers to remix. The record Acuo Urban Symphony was then released in an edition of 92,000 copies. Acuo creators are currently working on a lighter mobile version, the Acuo Lite. Simply said, it is a version of Acuo without Acuo. The system of microphones, the system of effects as well as the transmission through FM radio waves remains the same.

Download a hi-res photo here. (Photo by Jakub Stránský)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAmVR03tyyg

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This artist participated in the SHAPE platform which concluded in 2022. The current version of the project is SHAPE+. Like its predecessor, it is co-funded by the European Union.