Acoustic Poem is a mixed media interactive poster installation that provides an alternative visual and audio representation of the poem "Invitation to the Voyage" by Charles Baudelaire.
It acts as a translation machine, transforming written words into a multidimensional experience. It explores the interplay of language, sound, and algorithmic systems, reimagining a static poem as a dynamic entity.
The poem is divided into 98 sections, each paired with a unique song that captures its essence. An algorithm analyses the length of each word in the poem and translates it into a proportional duration of the corresponding song. With each iteration, the code randomly selects a unique segment of the song, ensuring an unpredictable and unrepeatable experience.
The installation also employs a visual mapping system. The algorithm illuminates specific squares on the poster corresponding to the analysed sections of the poem, creating a real-time visual guide through its fragmented narrative.
By breaking down and reassembling Baudelaire's poem, the installation critiques the intelligibility of traditional media while celebrating the sensory and conceptual possibilities of computational systems. It dissolves the boundaries between human and machine, offering a poetic exploration of hybridisation, reinterpretation, and the infinite potential of algorithms.
Through its interplay of sound, visuals, and language, Acoustic Poem reflects on the aesthetic and emotional possibilities of human-machine interaction, provoking a "sense of wonder" by transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Athanasios Katsougiannis
Athanasios Katsougiannis is a designer and coder exploring the intersections of design, technology, and interaction. With expertise in digital design and web development, he crafts websites, interactive tools, and experiences that challenge user habits. As the founder of alāsu.works, with his studio creates digital narratives, experimental installations, and playful interactions. Collaborating with brands, artists, and cultural institutions transforms ideas into engaging experiences that push creative and technological boundaries, inspiring curiosity and new ways of seeing the world in unexpected ways.
Dimitris Lelakis is a cross-disciplinary designer with a background in Visual Communication (MA) and Architecture (MArch), constructing visual and structural systems that possess coherent narratives. Specializing in typography-centered, research-based design, his practice explores the use of type to create or expand visual scenarios, blending analog and digital formats across static and motion mediums. Through his independent and studio career he has been honored with national and international awards and distinctions.
