Hakoniwa: a sonification art installation consists of sand and woodblocks

In this research we present an interactive tabletop installation ÒHakoniwaÓ. It consists of a wooden box, white sand and painted woodblocks. In this system, corresponding to the arrangement of woodblocks, a ceiling-mounted projector shows visual effects on the sand surface. At the same time, generative music is composed in a computer corresponding to the arrangement of woodblocks and modeling of the sand. This is an attempt of sonification of miniature garden. We studied Sandtray therapy, one of a famous form of art therapy, as a motif of the installation. We directed our attention to tactile sensation of sand and woodblocks, and tried to extend sandtray using computer vision processing and multi-media output. In this paper we describe details of the interactive system and discuss the possibility of supporting primitive play using such interactive systems.