How Circonflex Created Sound for a 3,000 Foot Digital Immersion Experience
The medium of the graphic novel is a fascinating one. It allows an author to take the complexity of a traditional text work and bring a whole new creative dimension - one that transforms the reading experience. And, whether it’s a lighthearted children’s tale, or something akin to ‘Watchmen’ or ‘Blankets’, the medium is one that offers something for readers of all ages to immerse themselves in.
With this in mind, Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie created the ‘Sacred Defenders of the Universe’, a captivating, science-infused graphic novel featuring four Indigenous superheroes - Aqueous, Embers, Terra and Aireus - and their quest to restore balance on Earth. Serving as a chance for readers to learn about respect for the land, the work is fun and relevant, but also makes a real plea for the consideration of the excessive destruction caused by human ego, and the need for humility, now more than ever.
So, with a message that powerful, why keep it within the confines of the pages? Especially when it could be a digital immersion experience instead? Animated by a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, and produced in partnership with creative service Supply & Demand, this is exactly what happened, as the graphic novel was transformed into a vibrant floor-to-ceiling journey within the 3,000 square-foot gallery of the TELUS Spark Science Centre in Calgary, Alberta.
Complete with full sound design, music and immersive mixing by Canadian music agency Circonflex, the exhibit will be running until fall 2023, allowing visitors to discover Indigenous science, the four sacred elements and directions, and key words in local Indigenous languages.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Circonflex voice director Tim White, and senior sound engineer Sydney Galbraith to learn more about what it took to complete all the audio-based requirements of this project, and how they approached designing sound for such a unique venue.
LBB> What was the brief for this project, and why was this an opportunity you were interested in?
Tim> Supply & Demand brought us in to create a stunning soundtrack that would capture the essence of the show and bring it to life through sound design, music and voice.
The plan was always that Indigenous composers and musicians would create the music that would be used in the final version of the experience, which they did! Tony Toosick and Anthony Biafore wrote and recorded an absolutely incredible score, and it was a rare honour and privilege to work with them. I was involved in the music creative discussions, and making sure S&D was getting music as fast as it was being written! Picture changes were happening every few days, so there was quite a bit of back and forth. Remi Lapointe (S&D creative director) claims not to be a musician, but he has an excellent ear! He was fantastic to work with.
We were also responsible for implementing all our audio into the space, which has no less than 66 speakers to choose from! The complexity of this challenge was another compelling reason for us to get involved.
Sydney> I’m always interested in creating audio and sound for unique experiences, and installations like this become huge palettes - deeply bespoke - and are therefore incomparable to anything else. It’s a scenario that needs a team that’s willing and interested in diving deep; a perfect scenario for Circonflex and Supply & Demand.
LBB> Being tasked with music, sound direction and immersion mix is no small ask. Where does one start on an undertaking such as this?
Tim> It can be difficult to conceive something like this all at once. Luckily, Remi sent us an early deck that already had some gorgeous original illustration and character design, so it wasn’t entirely conceptual. Part of our initial attraction was in the story - our sound design needed to evoke our feelings toward the earth itself, and we were thrilled to find out what that sounded like!
Sydney> Technically, it was important to understand the space and the playback system so that then, when conceptualising the audio, we would be able to work backwards to define how to best leverage the available technology. We really had to design for this space in particular.
LBB> The Spark Digital Immersion Gallery, a 3,000 square-foot space. How did the size impact your creative process, and what was designing for this venue like?
Sydney> The size of the space played a key role, but more important was understanding the nature and intention of the storytelling, and how that would impact the audience's experience inside. While we could anticipate and influence where visitor attention would be at any given moment, we still had to design and implement for scenarios where the audience was scattered throughout the space, or variable scenarios with larger or smaller groups of people. As such, we had to make sure the experience was consistent across all these situations, unlike a more traditional medium where the audience perspective is fixed to a single static screen or object.
We wanted a highly detailed audio experience that would complement the graphic novel/panel style that you see in the visuals. The visuals lend themselves to being fleshed out through the audio - both in specific sounds synchronised to images that move and fly around the space, as well as sonic world building, ambiences, and sound effect treatments.
Because we had limited time onsite to implement and mix, the approach became one of overcoverage and contingencies. We wanted to land with a huge amount of options and an effective plan on how to test, with the hope of eventually arriving at the appropriate result for the venue. Some sounds needed to be huge, some small, some focused in small parts of the space and some spread throughout, plus all the sounds had to move around and follow the amazing visuals throughout the space.
LBB> Let’s talk about the audio itself. What were the composition and immersive mix processes like, and were graphic novel creators Justin Jack Bear and Earl Benallie involved in the collaboration?
Sydney> Musically, the coordination between Tim and the composers was key to us getting fantastic sounding tracks delivered, while also maintaining a degree of flexibility for me to put them into the space at Spark.
Translating their studio mixes to a massive multichannel system was mostly a matter of broad strokes to account for the acoustics of the larger space, and then dialling up the intensity and letting the music take the lead in the moments where it really drove the story.
Tim> It’s funny! We didn’t have any direct contact with them during the process, but we met Justin Jack Bear at the soft opening. I’m thrilled to tell you, he was ecstatic about the sound!
LBB> How long did this project take? Was there a particular step that took longer than the others?
Sydney> It always feels like a race to the finish with projects of this scale. Getting started early was hugely beneficial, allowing us to experiment and carefully define the creative aspects as we went along, and move confidently as the project scaled up towards the installation date. Working this way means that when crunch time hits, if you have all the pieces and they’re all great, you just have to fit them all together in the right way to make it an amazing show and experience.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Sydney> Everyone involved in the project ended up with the same challenge: without a huge space within which to prototype, you can’t know how your work will translate until you get on site and start implementation. We were constantly iterating throughout the design process, and then once we got to the venue, we needed to re-iterate several more times!
Remi and I worked closely to develop auditory cues that could draw the audience’s attention and guide them through the room and the story. Some of these cues are musical, some are sound design, and the intensity of them is related to how focused we want the audience to be on a part of the story or a particular area of the space.
Ultimately, keeping an eye on the finish line while re-cutting sound to match new picture/pacing changes was largely a matter of organisation. In turn, this allowed us to be able to focus on several moving goals at once.
LBB> Is there a specific part of this project of which you are particularly proud? And why?
Sydney> I’m really happy with how the mix on site turned out. Not only does the show sound amazing - especially for first time viewers - but it also rewards repeat listeners with ear candy that speaks from different parts of the room at different times in the show.
Aside from that, It was also a real pleasure to work with Remi and the team from Supply & Demand, who shared the same drive to create something beautiful and unique. Working with people with such high levels of craftsmanship is always inspiring, and makes you push harder for better results.
LBB> Have you been to see the exhibit yourself? What was the experience like?
Sydney> I spent the better part of a week on site mixing the exhibit, and I think it’s great. The projection mapping and visuals are stunning, huge and sharp, and the interactive floor is so cool and so much fun to play with throughout the show, as it changes and reflects the story and what’s happening around the room. It’s really an experience that rewards the audience for exploring and interacting with it.
Tim> I’ll be there in early July. Can’t wait!
LBB> Supporting and promoting Indigenous culture is always a great cause. What did the chance to be involved in this mean to you?
Tim> Because of this project, I learned about Indigenous science, which I didn’t even realise was a separate branch of study. Also, the history! At our voice recording session, Duane Mistaken Chief was kind enough to share his family’s history with us, which was really wonderful and fascinating.
The larger thing to come from the fact that this is the showcase of Indigenous creators in a modern artistic context, and that being in a public space means everyone can learn about the earth through the story of the ‘Sacred Defenders’.
All in all, we’re extremely proud to have played a small part in this endeavour.
