The puck is designed to be similar in shape and size to a coin that can be kept in a pocket and played with in the hand. Recording starts with a click, a seamless interaction between the user and the present moment.
collaborator
father
text
short long
reach
on off
sonic heirloom
Sound has the power to connect us to our stories. We collaborated with Father to envision Sonic Heirloom, a speculative object that captures and preserves meaningful moments, reimagining our interaction with sound and memory.
How often do we pause to truly listen to the sounds around us? What role do these sounds play in anchoring us to the present or evoking memories of the past? A collaboration between Map Project Office and Father, Sonic Heirloom reimagines our interaction with sound and memory.
An experiment in interdisciplinary design, the project sought to combine the physical and the audible, elevating sound as a tool within design to create new, enriching experiences. The heirloom consists of a recording puck and a playback device featuring a resonant bell. Designed for portability, the puck allows users to effortlessly capture sonic memories in the moment. Once a memory is recorded, it is docked in the playback device, where it is permanently enshrined within the heirloom. Upon playback, the bell begins to turn, emitting a physical resonance that harmonises with the recorded audio. This creates an immersive soundscape, deeply connecting the user to their memory. Over time, the bell’s resonance becomes intrinsically linked to the captured moment, adding an emotional depth to the experience.
This project encourages reflection on the profound role sound plays in capturing life’s significant moments, urging us to engage more intentionally with the soundscapes of our lives. Rather than allowing sound to passively complement the visual, Sonic Heirloom invites users to embrace sound as a primary sense for storytelling and memory.
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pauseplay
unmutemute
puck
vitrine
The puck is locked into the vitrine, preserving the memory that it holds. The glass vitrine embodies the fragility of memories. The transparency provides a window in — the slight frost of the glass symbolising how memory, while allowing us glimpses of the past, is often distorted by time and perception.
player
Wrapped in leather, the player lightly rests on the turning bell, similar to an arm on a record player. After a number of rotations, the friction between the two components emits an immersive, resonating chime.
bell
We worked with a traditional foundry to cast the bell. The form and the mix of reused tin and copper inform the sonic quality, with each bell carrying a distinct tonal fingerprint, much like the uniqueness of a personal memory. The inside of the bell is then machined, resulting in a bright metallic surface, prompting a sense of self-reflection.
