“Skratch” by China Blue at the Acoustical Society of America’s annual meeting
Skratch, 2006
7.1 Sound Installation at the Acoustical Society of America’s conference
Created in collaboration with Dr. Seth Horowitz
Skratch is a 7.1 surround sound installation which was created from a recording of an actual pool game played with friends. The piece utilizes the 7.1 format which has 6 primary speakers that are used to represent the 6 pockets of the pool table. The ball sounds are heard from the appropriate speaker when the ball drops into a pocket. When sitting in the center, the audience can hear the acoustic dynamics of the ball as it wizzes past them combined with the dialogue of the players. An equal emphasis is placed on the conversations and dynamics of the players, which are matched with the sounds of the balls as they hit each other, drop into the pockets and pass under the table. In this work the artist presents the invisibility of human relationships through the immaterial means of sound.