A Counting : system architecture and implementation of a voice portrait of the United States
Name
1227275598-MIT.pdf
Size
661.28 KB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
c1e0dad9bcdff437b0f6850dbd027552
Author(s)
Holtzman, Toby(Toby W.)
Advisor(s)
Ekene Ijeoma.
Alternative Title
System architecture and implementation of a voice portrait of the United States
Date Issued
2020
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this thesis, I present the technical architecture of A Counting, a voice portrait of the United States through a nationwide repeating "count" from one to one hundred as a response to historical miscounting by the US Census. Using a novel audio processing pipeline, voice recordings from participants' counts are split into individual audio samples. These samples are then recombined into the continuous count that is displayed through a video on a web page. Every iteration of this count is unique, as each number is selected at random from all recordings submitted so far. I also present an architecture for participants to verify and transcribe their own and others' recordings, giving them control over the representation of their language, and enabling the artwork to be self-sustaining through voluntary participation. The artwork has been featured in museums and galleries, garnered a community of hundreds of participants, and continues to expand across the United States.
Description
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, September, 2020
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 47-48).
Subjects
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
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