Could ambiance be a gateway to connect people across different times and spaces?
This project started unexpectedly. I was scrolling through ambient sound videos on YouTube, and something caught my eye. People were sharing personal memories in the comments, stories tied to specific sounds or feelings. And then, others would respond, saying, ‘I feel like I’m experiencing that moment too.’ Seeing this, I couldn’t help but wonder: Could ambiance be a gateway to connect people across different times and spaces?
As someone with a background in sound design, particularly in film, I believe that audio has a unique ability to transport listeners and offer them a deeper understanding of the world. Ambiance, in particular, captures the essence of space and time, going beyond mere sound to trigger vivid visual and cognitive responses. When we encounter a particular spatiotemporal ambiance, it prompts our minds to create mental representations of that environment.
Driven by the initial question, I began working on <Ambi Band>, a project that explores the potential of sound to connect individuals across time and space through shared auditory experiences.
Ambi Band invites users on a personal journey through memories with four simple questions: Where, What, Who, and How (WWWH). As users respond to each prompt, they choose sounds that resonate with their answers, creating a unique combination of personal ambiance. Each chosen sound gradually weaves into sentences, which then transform into visual elements within “My Space.” In this way, Ambi Band enables users to shape an environment that feels intimately connected to their own memories.
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In late 2022, I started working on an app that lets users select sounds and form sentences based on answers to questions like ‘What,’ ‘Where,’ and ‘Who.’ After testing the prototype and gathering feedback, I made key improvements to enhance the experience. By 2023, with support from the Art Council Korea, I was able to launch the final version on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.