Phonic Bloom

What is Phonic Bloom?

Located in the children’s reading room at the Woodland Community Library, Phonic Bloom is a data sculpture created by Superfab that represents the universal sounds at the heart of human language. To enhance its sonic and educational possibilities, the sculpture is augmented by sounds, animations, videos, and images that visitors experience through a mobile app produced by students of Digital Technology & Culture at Washington State University Vancouver.

Superfab team at a meeting discussing the data sculpture making process

Phonic Bloom sculpture at Woodland Community Library

WSUV team visiting Phonic Bloom sculpture at Woodland Community Library

A child standing under Phonic Bloom sculpture looking at the Phonic Bloom app on a tablet with an animated bee mascot on the screen

Inspiration

The data sculpture is designed as a garden of flowers that visualizes the sounds of human spoken languages. With the help of Portland State University linguist Janet Tom Cowal, Superfab laid out the sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) chart. Superfab also fabricated the garden’s flowers from the pages of books treated with natural dyes reflecting the colors of flora found in the local landscape and representing the three regional languages spoken by local communities: Cowlitz Salish, the indigenous language of Washington; Spanish, widely spoken by the Hispanic community; and English, the predominant language in the state.

With the languages and colors in mind, Superfab laid out the map of sounds, transforming phonetic data into an intricate arrangement of vividly crafted blooms. Each flower patch captures the unique presence or absence of sounds across Spanish, Cowlitz Salish, and English, with orange, blue, and purple blossoms marking their linguistic territories, respectively. White flowers hint at the broader tapestry of human speech, showcasing sounds used in other languages, while delicate reeds are silent placeholders for unspoken or unused phonetic possibilities. The interplay of structure and artistry brings the map to life, blending precision with creativity to celebrate the rich diversity of language.

Tap the glowing flowers to explore the influences behind this vibrant palette, and select any term to learn more.

Fabrication

A sketch of the data sculpture hanging from the ceiling in a reading room — The first sketch of the data sculpture made by Superfab

A variety of old book pages — Old book pages collected as materials for the sculpture

Swatches of book pages in multiple colors — A color palette inspired by the native flowers in Woodland, WA

Six book pages dyed in different colors — The primary color palette

A book page submerged in orange dye — A book page during
the dyeing process

Book pages in a variety of purple dyes — Book pages in different
shades of purple

Book pages in a variety of purple blue — Book pages in different
shades of blue

Stems of multicolor flowers made from book pages covered in Dura-Lar — Flower and reed prototypes

Stems of flowers and reeds made from book pages covered in Dura-Lar — Flower and reed prototypes

Stems of reed made with book pages covered in Dura-Lar hanging from the ceiling — Reed prototypes

Interpretation

To create an engaging experience for young visitors, an interdisciplinary team of 3D modelers, programmers, multimedia designers from Digital Technology & Culture (DTC) at Washington State University Vancouver (WSUV) created a mobile app that interprets the data sculpture for library patrons.

The app immerses children and parents, allowing them to explore the sounds of the blooming garden. The interactive platform brings the data sculpture to life, fostering meaningful engagement and accessible learning for visitors of all ages from the comfort of their mobile devices.

A person working on a 3D model on a computer — The first prototype of the 3D garden

Closeup of flower garden 3D model in color — A closeup of the flower garden 3D model in color and texture

A 3D model of a flower garden — A peek at the flower garden 3D model

A person working on an illustration of an MRI scan — A work in progress of the MRI animation

Four people of the design team at WSUV — The Design Team at WSUV

Seven people of the experience team at WSUV — The Experience Team at WSUV

Four people of the web development team at WSUV — The Web Development Team at WSUV

Four people of the social media team at WSUV — The Social Media Team at WSUV

Implementation

Phonic Bloom transforms knowledge into a vibrant living garden. The Woodland Community Library invites you to step into this immersive landscape where sounds, stories, and visuals intertwine in a celebration of cultural diversity and human connection. Visit the reading room to watch the art come alive, and uncover a world where language and imagination flourish.

A person using a tablet device — An AR expert testing out the app prototype

Two people assessing stems of flowers made from book pages — The Experience Team looking at the flower stems

Flowers made from book pages in multicolors — The flowers before installation

A group of people posing under Phonic Bloom data sculpture at Woodland Community Library — The WSUV team visiting the
Phonic Bloom sculpture

A person wearing a bee costume — A life-size costume of Bea the Bee,
the mascot

Two people looking at a tablet — The Experience Team showing the app prototype on a tablet device

Phonic Bloom

Phonic Bloom

About

What is Phonic Bloom?

Inspiration

Fabrication

Interpretation

Implementation

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