2025 Student Showcase: Designing Audio Experiences MA

Students from UCL’s Designing Audio Experiences: Art, Science and Production MA will present two immersive audio performances which use new spatial audio technologies to activate and present their research into the sonic landscapes we inhabit:

Global Resonance: Scent Echo by Xiaoya Zhao, Peifeng Cai, Han Zhang, Jiaye Wang, Hao Liu, Aobo Gao, and Sodai Furuzawa

This interactive installation reimagines the form of a lottery drawing machine to explore globalization, cultural exchange, and sensory perception. Six acrylic spheres, each containing spices from different countries, roll and collide as fans generate airflow, producing ever-changing scents and sounds. Sensors embedded in the pillars activate additional auditory elements as viewers approach, creating a dynamic interplay between presence and experience. By blending smell and sound—often overlooked yet deeply tied to memory and emotion—this piece invites audiences to reflect on the fluidity of cultural identity, the unpredictability of human connections, and the tension between individuality and global forces.

From Binary to Birdsong by Kunling Liu, Bohang Zhang, Sameer Sengupta, Thomas Crowley, Riccardo Boiteux, Yi Wu, Tianyi Zhang, Zu Gong, Yuxin Li, Jun Yang

From Binary to Birdsong’ is a 20-minute spatial sound installation that explores the intricate relationships between natural soundscapes, technology’s development and our dependence on it. The piece specifically focuses on the impact that data centres have on our environmental and sonic landscape