Beyond ephemerality
Boundary objects and the plasticity of listening in collaborative design
Stefano Delle Monache (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music)
Dave Murray-Rust (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Elif Özcan (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
Nicolas Misdariis (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music)
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Abstract
Sound-driven design requires shared objects to bridge disciplinary divides and support collaboration between diverse expertise. Boundary Objects and Intermediary Objects typically fulfil this need, yet the ephemerality of sound is in apparent conflict with the stability needed for this boundary work. However, we argue for extending the object beyond the ephemeral sound wave to encompass tools, user interfaces, methods, and lexicons that provide material persistence. To support this we develop an analytical framework combining BO and IO properties and apply it to a selection of sound design tools in the literature. We argue that the required interpretive flexibility and perceived stability arises through the inherent plasticity of listening: different stakeholders actively construct stable, relevant meaning through situated interpretation. We propose the term "Soundary Objects" for artefacts and processes where listening's plasticity is the key mechanism enabling boundary work in sound-driven design, suggesting directions for designing effective socio-technical mediation tools.
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