The Brief
4 crew members will be the first to travel one way to Mars in a project called Mars One. By researching & collaborating with candidates, I created Rainmaking on Mars, a multiplayer musical instrument created for the harsh 7-month journey where the crew may encounter psychological risks. By using sounds of rain & nature, the instrument creates a calming aura & a sense of play for the mission while facilitating social interaction in the uncertain & dramatic event.
The instrument enables learning & sharing, requiring hands-on interaction required to aim in psychological & social needs in the confined environment. Travelling to Mars will challenge the human condition. The instrument will have to be adaptive to constraints, such as space, gravity, & limitation of sounds.
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I used research through design & ethnographical research methods to understand the group I was designing for in a future scenario that has yet to be fully tested, then I used iterative prototyping to propose a solution. This project still continues to develop and was installed at the Ars Electronica Festival 2017 in Linz, Austria.
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Detailed research documentation can be found here.
Work in progress documentation can be found here.
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"I can easily imagine that sphere floating around the Mars Transfer Vehicle emitting calming rain sounds. It will certainly help me sleep soundly."
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- Alison Rigby, Mars One candidate
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Thank you to:
Alison Rigby, Ryan MacDonald - Mars One Candidates
Hildegard Westerkemp - Sound Recordist
Nicolas Marechal - Unit Leader
Joel Lewis - Mentor, Interaction Designer