ODI: Soothing Sound Inspired by Nature
The sounds of nature, from bird song to waves crashing to the white noise of grass blowing in the wind, have an indisputably soothing effect on the human psyche. While home devices like alarm clocks and ambient sound players have attempted to replicate these sounds for our portable benefit, they tend to fall flat in comparison to the full, immersive richness of the real thing. ODI by Italian designer Chiara Pacifici aims to address this disconnect.
Part industrial design, part public art installation, the playful sound device resembles a pair of giant ears made entirely of terracotta and uses resonance to churn out sinusoidal waves in rhythmic, repetitive oscillation, producing soft, soothing sounds channeled directly into the listener’s ears.
The project was commissioned by Ranocchia Terrecotte Studio and is designed to invite public interaction.
Maria Popova is the editor of Brain Pickings, a curated inventory of miscellaneous interestingness. She writes for Wired UK, GOOD Magazine, Design Observer and Huffington Post, and spends a shameful amount of time on Twitter.
