Audible Enclaves:
An Island of Sound in a Silent Space
Speculative editorial illustration for Scientific American magazine, inspired by the article “Bending Ultrasonic Beams Creates ‘Audible Enclaves’ Where They Cross?” by Dan Vergano.
The article describes a technique developed at Penn State University that creates ‘audible enclaves’ by intersecting ultrasound beams to produce sound audible only at specific locations, without using headphones or speakers.
The concept I developed for this illustration was to portray individuals as ears functioning as islands. One of them represents an island of isolated sound, the only spot where music is audible, formed by the intersection of two ultrasonic beams. Around it, other ears float or lie submerged in a oneiric ocean of silence.
The idea of focusing on music was inspired by the researchers' use of Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus during the experiment demonstration.
As an interesting fact, the experiment’s technique could be applied in various settings such as museums, cars, virtual reality, or even military communications, anywhere private, focused sound might be useful.
Imagine hearing a message or music… that only you can hear!
This illustration was created using handmade digital techniques. Below are three early composition sketches exploring different visual directions.
Once I had the final composition, I moved on to value and colour thumbnail explorations before refining and rendering the final piece.
