2023
Role: Concept, Visual Direction, Sound Design, Production
Objective: Explore empathy through speculative design and audiovisual storytelling
Solo Project
Hello Stranger? invites you to reflect on empathy in the age of technology. As your connection with a stranger is visualized and sonified, discomfort becomes intimacy.
These speculative glasses imagine a world where connection is measurable. Would that change how we interact? Would we care more—knowing someone’s watching?
In a society of disconnect, Hello Stranger? asks: what if we were more aware of the emotional signals we send and receive?
Process
Inspired by a non-verbal distance exercise in philosophy class and the Interrotron technique by filmmaker Errol Morris, I began asking: what happens if we could see the quality of our connection with a stranger?
Hello Stranger? is a speculative scenario featuring a pair of conceptual “connection glasses.” These glasses hypothetically measure interpersonal dynamics, eye contact, facial expressions, distance, etc. and translate that data into generative sound.
The result: an immersive audiovisual installation that confronts the viewer with the uncomfortable tension of unfamiliar social interaction, and slowly guides them toward connection.
The video places the viewer in a minimal, infinite white space. I filmed myself against a green screen and composited the footage into a clean, surreal environment. The visuals are paired with generative music that evolves based on the “quality” of the simulated connection.
In the next phase, the goal would be to make this a live installation and measure the connection between two actual people.
The audio was built using ORCA, a live-coding MIDI tool, paired with the Juno online synth. As the interaction improves, the harsh, dissonant sounds gradually resolve into softer, more melodic tones—mirroring the shift from isolation to empathy.
I created a MIDI system where:
- Disconnection triggers sharp, intrusive beeps
- Connection introduces calmer rhythms and harmonies
- The pacing and density of notes reflect emotional shifts
Next to the video sits a physical prototype: transparent glasses that represent the speculative device. While they don’t actually “measure” connection, their presence challenges the viewer to imagine a world where empathy is quantifiable—and visible.